Book 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 Ceaușescu 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?
My Review:
5/5 stars. This was an incredible, moving, emotional, and necessary novel that shines a light on a time of history not many people know about. It had me hooked the whole time. This is only the second Ruta Sepetys book I’ve read, but she’s quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This book was just as good as her book, Salt to the Sea, which I read earlier this year.
Ruta Sepetys' books are great at teaching about lesser-known parts of history. I didn't really know much about Communism and how bad it was for the people in Communist countries, but this novel really painted a picture of how awful it was. As a Christian, it also made me think about the suffering and oppression that would've happened to Christians in Romania at the time.
Just like her other book, Salt to the Sea, this book was so gripping and compelling, and full of amazing prose. I was too invested in the story and focused to even have many comments or thoughts I had to pause and write down. I was just enjoying it. Toward the end, I felt a rollercoaster of emotions. There were some "heck yeah" moments that I even started tearing up at, when characters were joining together to fight back.
I loved the main character, Cristian. I liked how smart and courageous he was. As a writer, the fact that he wanted to be a writer was also nice. At the same time, though, he wasn't perfect. He was a well-written character.
Content Guide:
Language: Very infrequent, only about one or two instances of each word. D*mn, p*ss, a**hole, h*ll, sh*t, taking God's name in vain.
Sexual Content: Kissing, including on the neck and jaw, but nothing beyond that.
Violence: People get shot, beaten, and tortured, mentions of blood and wounds
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