Review 296: I Must Betray You

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A harrowing tale of what a tyrannical government looks like, told through the eyes of a teenage boy in Romania 1989. Everyone is trapped by the “Secu” security that enforces the draconian rules of the leader, which there are many. Everything is owned by the state, including the people. They are starved, brutalized and scared into silence, and nearly everyone could be an informer.

Cristian is put into a position where he must become an informer, despite how much he despises the system. “Paddle Hands” says he will get medicine for his sick grandfather, and really Cristian doesn’t have a choice, they knew he had a US Dollar bill, illegal to own foreign currency. Besides, Cristian would do anything for Bunu, his beloved grandfather.

This is a quick read, written for teenagers, which likely will be horrified as anyone would. Yet this is based on fact, what did happen not that long ago. Perhaps it is something that is happening now in other countries, like North Korea. Isolate the people from the rest of the world, control the media, control everything, then to enforce it have informants, a network of spies by the citizens themselves. They will fear everyone and can trust no one, they will behave. Until they don’t.

When the wall comes down in Germany and Communism collapses, Christian is wondering if the world will forget about Romania, will they be left alone?

Thanks to Philomel Books/Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.