Skip to main content

Ruta Sepetys: I Must Betray You

I read this novel for Battle of the Books, but I also wanted to read it. I keep trying Sepetys novels, thinking I'm really going to like them, and then finding myself disappointed. This novel was an exception. This is probably the best Sepetys novel I've read so far.

I Must Betray You is the story of Romania behind the Iron Curtain. Christian Florescu is seventeen. His grandfather, an intellectual, questions the current regime, and Christian finds himself agreeing. Romanians are struggling; waiting in long lines hoping for food, spies everywhere, never knowing who's an informer and who isn't. Amidst these tensions, Christian is confronted by an agent of the secret police and blackmailed into informing on Dan Van Dorn, the son of the American Ambassador. Stuck between his beliefs and his fear, Christian does as he's told, hoping that he can dupe the agent.

I loved this book, more than any other Sepetys novel I've read. While Sepetys excels at many things in her writing, I've always felt that she didn't know how to end her books. I Must Betray You is vastly different. Instead of hasty character deaths and messy ribbon-tying, I Must Betray You neatly ties up the story for a conclusion that felt both realistic and satisfying.

I've always appreciated that Ruta Sepetys tells stories that are rarely (if ever) told in the United States. Her novels give voice to stories that have not been told nearly enough. I enjoyed that aspect of I Must Betray You the most. We just don't study the Communist Bloc in much detail here in the U.S., so this story was something I had very little knowledge of.

I loved the characters in this book. I loved Christian's voice throughout the novel. I loved that it felt like this was a book he chose to write after his experiences with being an informer and the revolution that followed. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the "official reports" with Christian's tale. This showed his flawed perspective and just how limited it was. It also adds to the tension of the novel and gives hints that someone closer to Christian is also an informer.

As I said before, the plot for this book is reasonably well thought out. I did feel that I was blindsided by some of the suddenness of events, like when Bunu is killed and when the revolution begins. I didn't think this was a deal-breaker for the novel as these events were meant to seem unforeseeable, but they just felt abrupt.

Overall, I rate this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PG for some violence

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2022 Reading in Review

 I thought it might be fun to look at my reading challenge from last year and look at what I enjoyed the most. I picked my top 5 favorite books from 2022 to highlight one more time. Choosing only five was actually more difficult than I imagined, since I had a lot of favorites. It was also hard to rank them if I'm completely honest, but here is my list! #5 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon  by Kelly Barnhill I loved this book. I loved the whimsical storytelling style and the plot. I loved the characters and how they were developed. I loved how the author carefully crafted the foreshadowing and how she carefully guided you through the mystery of Xan's memories. Overall, this book was so well written. Even though it was a middle grade book, I found myself unable to put it down. #4 - I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys If you've followed my blog, then you probably know that I don't usually care much for Ruta Septys's writing. It's not that I dislike the stories she tells,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prince Harry: Spare

 My coworkers were all reading this, and I have to say that I'm fascinated by the royal family, so I gave into temptation and listened to this on Audible. Listening to the audio book was totally the way to go, since Prince Harry reads it himself. Spare  by Prince Harry is a heartbreaking memoir outlining Harry's treatment by the British tabloids. He outlines his experiences with the tabloids from the time his mother died until his departure from the royal family. This fascinating memoir gives an inside look into the workings of the royal family, and their relationships with the press. The memoir certainly makes it look as if all is not well in the house of Windsor, and attempts to set the record straight (from Harry's perspective) of what happened among the family members. Overall, I did enjoy this book. I loved the way Harry writes (and because I listened to it, the way he reads). I found his descriptions of events and places beautiful, and wish I could use it in AP! His p...
Post a Comment
Read more

T. J. Klune: The House in the Cerulean Sea

I was finally able to finish a book! Things with the baby got crazy and I wasn't able to finish this before he came, but I've finally settled in and have gotten back to reading. It will take me a little while to finish another book. Next on my list is Ruta Septys' new book I Will Betray You . The House in the Cerulean Sea  by T.J. Klune felt distinctly Harry Potter -esque. Linus Baker is a case worker for DICOMY - the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He visits orphanages and seeks to help the kids he observes with the utmost objectivity, never getting attached nor revisiting the cases to see what ultimately happens to the children. He leads a dull and dreary existence with his small house, his monogrammed pajamas, obnoxious neighbor, and unusual cat, Calliope. That all changes when he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and sent on a secret assignment to the most unusual orphanage Linus has ever seen. There, he meets the most unusual children, and possibly the m...
Post a Comment
Read more