I must betray you by Ruta Sepetys

When a despot rules, the people suffer, truth suffers, and everyone feels powerless. Toward the end of 1989 the rule of Communist power under the despotic control of Nikolae Ceausescu in Romania led to an awful life for the ordinary folk. Survival was hard and everyone lived with the fear that someone else was spying on them. In this story, 17-year-old teenager, Cristian was still going to school, living with his grandfather, mother and father and his older sister in their tiny apartment, but even within the family it was hard to trust and speak out the truth about the awful regime that ruled their country. When Cristian gets recruited as an informer it is with great reluctance and incredible guilt and uncertainty. The insecurity of life is revealed with profound pathos through the eyes of this young man and the ultimate cry of ‘Freedom’ is so necessary for the whole country. But there is betrayal and violence before a future and hope can come alive.

This is a poignant tale that is compelling and worth recommending. Despite its recent history, the plight of the Romanian people under Ceausescu’s rule is probably relatively unknown for most Australian teenagers, so this engaging and powerful story is a wonderful tribute to those who suffered and spoke out for freedom despite the personal cost, and worthy of sharing to a new generation. The story is raw and painful, but brilliantly written, on the one hand highlighting the disparity between the life of a teenager in the USA (the son of the US Ambassador) and the awful circumstances of the Romanian teen and also revealing the pain of a forgotten country. Australian teenagers will be drawn too to the romance that blossoms amidst the pain of poverty. Highly recommended for mature teens aged 14+ to adult readers.

Themes: Romanian history, Nikolae Ceausescu, Betrayal, Fear, Communism.

Carolyn Hull