“Paradise: If communism is Paradise, why do we need barriers, walls, and laws to keep people from escaping?”― Ruta Sepetys, I Must Betray You
This is a powerful novel is set in 1989 Romania when Communist regimes across Europe were crumbling. Unfortunately, Nicolae Ceaușescu was still the tyrannical dictator of Romania where he ruled with fear and an iron fist. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of a different world, one where he can pursue his dreams of becoming a writer instead of living in fear. Cristian is approached by the secret police and is blackmailed into becoming an informer. He cannot betray everyone he loves and his ideals but perhaps he can use this new position to help undermine the current regime. Cristian works to expose the truth of what is happening in Romania and when the time comes to fight for freedom, he eagerly joins the fight. It is then that he learns that freedom is not free and the cost is more than he imagined.
I remember watching the Berlin Wall come down, the USSR disintegrate, and Russia turn from communism to a more capitalistic society, but I had little to no memory of what happened in Romania. I recognized the name of Ceausescu but did not know the depths of the suffering of the Romanian people and the extreme surveillance they endured. I commend Ruta Sepetys for bringing this history of Romania to light and highly recommend this book.
Content Advisory: Death, cancer, death of a parent, violence, manipulation