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?
A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the number one New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.
I’ll start off by saying this: This book is, well… eye-opening. I am a lover of historical fiction—and Ruta Septys historical fiction in particular—and this book blew me away. It’s heartbreaking, nearly brought me to tears(and I don’t cry when I read, for reference), and deserves all the love it gets.
This book is very well-written, and is peak historical fiction, in my opinion. I could go on and on about this book. Cristian is a relatable narrator who makes mistakes, misjudges people and situations, but he has a heart of gold and loves his family.
The insight into communist Romania admittedly surprised me. I’m not entirely sure why, but I guess it was shocking to see the amount of deception and secrets that took place in the story that took place back then. Back then, not even 40 years ago. It’s crazy to think about, and that is one reason why it’s such a good read.
Cristian became one of my instant favorites. I loved that he kept a secret little notebook and wrote his thoughts in it, and I loved his relationship with his Bunu—his grandfather—and the fact that his grandfather encouraged him to write.
His mother and father didn’t play super-big roles, but his sister Cici does. Oh, not to spoil, but her story broke my heart just as much as Cristian’s did. Same with what happens to his friend Luca. Liliana, the girl who hides behind a curtain of hair, was wonderful. She is probably my third favorite, after Cristian and Luca.
The setting of the story is haunting in of itself– an apartment building, where Cristian’s bedroom is a closet because of how little space there is in the house. I believe there is only one bedroom, a pull-out couch, and Bunu’s recliner. And five people live there! Five!
And the fact that Coke is like, super rare and stuff was also shocking to me. I have a soda everyday. And the fact that a pack of cigarettes can be used as currency for stuff was also like, hold up, what? That kind of reality is unlike my own, which only increased the shock factor for me.
The last… maybe third of the book was by far the most shocking. The timeline of course, lends it to being the day communism fell in Romania, and the protest scenes were… intense.
I would recommend this book to teens, adults, and maybe even tweens(if they can handle stuff like violence, the occasional swear, and somewhat depressing themes) who enjoy historical fiction, learning about Romania, and the like.
I will warn you: if you do not like violence, troubling scenes(like secretive type stuff), sad moments, a kind of dreary life, or the occasional swear, then this book is NOT for you.
I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars! Trust me, if you read this book, you will not be able to put it down. It is thought-inducing, entertaining, and you learn about how good a modern life in America is compared to what happened back in Romania during the time of this book.
Happy reading!
Very good review, I might have to read it as I too am into history. Gram
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