Book Review: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

 

Imagine living in an unsafe world - where if feels like even the walls have ears, where friends have turned against friends, and family members share sensitive information? Imagine living in a world without trust - without knowing WHO you can trust. And on top of that, living in a world where resources are incredibly limited. Imagine standing in food lines for hours just for a few potatoes and securing only a single onion the size of a grape. Imagine not having enough food to keep you healthy, enough heat to keep you warm. Imagine living in a world void of the opportunity to try a banana.

This is the situation that people were living in during the late 1980s in Romania. Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife gathered the wealth of their country for personal gain while leaving the citizens with little and with little hope for outside help as communication was cut off to the larger world. 

This is a novel about Cristian Florescu, a 17-year-old boy with dreams of becoming a writer in a time when the slots in college were few and jobs as educated people were fewer. This is about dreams of love in a time without trust. This is about holding on to hope for a better life in a time when that hope is often dashed. This is a time when Cokes and Twinkies are forbidden treats that can get you arrested.

Read this book. 1989 wasn't that long ago. Walk in the shoes of Cristian. Spend some time experiencing his life. And finally, reach for the hope at the end. And maybe you should even keep a Twinkie or a banana or a can of Coke beside your reading chair in order to celebrate with these characters.