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I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Young adult

I Must Betray You

by Ruta Sepetys

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Quick take

Under the harsh rule of a dictator, a young man must choose between betraying his loved ones or risking his own life.

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Synopsis

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

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Get an early look from the first pages of I Must Betray You.

I Must Betray You

BENEATH THE GILDED FRAME

SUB RAMA POLEITA

They lived in darkness.

Breathing shadows.

Hands plunged deep within their pockets, hiding frozen fingers balled into fists.

They avoided the eyes of others. To look into the face of fear brought risk of getting trapped in its undertow. But somehow—invisible eyes—they were forever upon them. Even in the darkest darkness.

Watching.

Always watching.

Romania's perpetual sense of surveillance.

That’s how it’s been described: the burden of a secret storm.

This is not recited from memory.

There was a student, a young man in the capital city of Bucharest. He wrote it all down.

Then feared it was a mistake.

We speak of mistakes—some believe that Dracula is the most frightening character associated with Romania. When they learn the truth, will it haunt them?

Dracula is fiction, with no real connection to Romanian history. But there was once a real bloodthirsty monster living in a castle in Romania. He remained in his tower for twenty-four years. While Dracula chose specific victims, this other monster chose to be evil and cruel . . .

To everyone.

He denied them food, electricity, truth, and freedom.

The citizens of Romania were stoic and resilient, but they suffered a terror of tyranny.

How many, you ask?

Twenty-three million people.

Names and history, largely unknown. Then—

A metal box. Found next to a grave. Inside was a manuscript.

This is how one boy told the story.

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Why I love it

Ruta Sepetys’s new historical thriller I Must Betray You is an atmospheric, beautifully written story set as the 1989 Romanian Revolution fast approaches. The novel is filled with unforgettable characters who convey varying aspects of the suffering and abuse of civil liberties by the communist government led by Nicolae Ceausescu. But no character is as thoroughly engrossing as Cristian Florescu. The high school student is an adventuresome young man who dabbles in such illegal activities as watching smuggled American movies, writing in his journals, hoarding Kent cigarettes, and sharing a can of Coca-Cola. But when he gets recruited to spy on a U.S. diplomat’s son—his mother cleans the apartments of two U.S. diplomats—he is also given a chance to prove himself resourceful, flawed, and heroic.

Sepetys’s novel is historical fiction at its best. Meticulously researched, it is also wonderfully paced storytelling. The author weaves history into an emotional tale that merges genres, from coming-of-age to thriller and action-adventure seamlessly led by Cristian. His observations, intellect, and disarming humor, as well as his heartwarming affection for his family, friends, and partners, make his difficult choice at the center of the story even more gut-wrenching.

I Must Betray You will leave you breathless until the very last sentence.

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Young adult
View all
The Wild Huntress
Ruthless Vows
What the River Knows
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Dragonfruit
The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
Check & Mate
Divine Rivals
Foul Lady Fortune
Anna K Away
I Must Betray You
A Wilderness of Stars
Warrior Girl Unearthed
Bloodmarked
Instructions for Dancing
The Boy in the Red Dress
Color Me In
Not So Pure and Simple
Throw Like a Girl
Frankly in Love
The Queen of Nothing
Wayward Son
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
Anna K
Patron Saints of Nothing
The Kingdom of Back
Yes No Maybe So
Permanent Record
Full Disclosure
Oasis
Where the World Ends
I Have No Secrets
Song of the Crimson Flower
When the Stars Lead to You
All the Bright Places
Saving Zoë
Symptoms of a Heartbreak
All of Us with Wings
The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World
Past Perfect Life
There's Something About Sweetie
Again, But Better
Sky Without Stars
How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom
Night Music
Shout
The Deceivers
Top Ten
A Million Junes
And We're Off
Salt to the Sea