I found this book when writing my recently published article, ‘Best YA Books To Read this February.’ So I went downtown, and looked into the Amherst Bookstore to see if they had it. I had to ask, but turns out they did! I happily went home with this book. It’s about a 17 year old, Cristian Florescu, in 1989 Romania. Romania at the time was under a tyrannical dictatorship with strict rules. There are informers recruited by secret police who are civilians blackmailed or attracted into the job to spy on their loved ones, record notes on them, and essentially inform. Cristian becomes one of them via blackmail. The book is from his point of view. We can see his fear, his panic, his betrayal, and his thoughts for change. He feels guilty being an informer and attempts to outwit the secret police.
I’m usually the type of person who doesn’t have a specific genre of interest. This one is historical fiction but it’s different from the others I’ve read as this is the literal thoughts of one person and it’s under a dictatorship. I didn’t have expectations for the book, more so intrigue and curiosity. I thought it was a pretty good book. It’s not a book you would reread though. One read is good enough.
[Spoiler Alert] It starts with Cristian in class with his friend, Luca, being his sarcastic self. Sarcasm is his coping mechanism from his life. His grandpa has a similar persona as him as he lived before this dictatorship. His parents and sisters try to live quietly. There’s audio devices everywhere, in every apartment, building, and school. There is no privacy. There is no fresh food like vegetables or bananas. No Coca Cola. No watching movies from other countries. Electricity is limited and all snacks, such as Twinkies, are documented by the secret police. The civilians don’t have basic necessities and liberties. People even having a Coca Cola would be arrested. Minor offenses would be considered huge and civilians would consequently be imprisoned. Life in Romania was suffocating. Reading about this was what caught my attention in most of the book: the civilian lifestyle under dictatorship. Fun fact, the dictator and its regime and lifestyle is actually true in history.
Cristian’s mom cleans the American Ambassador’s apartment, so he comes over to hang out with his son who is of a similar age. His son shows him a video of his life back home that was sent to him. He sees bananas and tons of fresh vegetables and is shocked. If a dictatorship is the best for the country, why isn’t it thriving like America? He starts wondering more about the outside world and how other countries work. At this time, he is also an informer trying to spy on the American Ambassador’s family. Later on he goes to a library with the son and finds out that others that were under dictatorships are now free. Seeing other countries around Romania, eventually led to the rebellion and protest to overthrow the dictator. There are some betrayals and deaths Cristian has to face, I feel like spoiling them will make this a summary of the book instead of a review. So, read the book to find out Cristian’s turning points and discoveries. I have always loved reading historical fiction as it is a different time period. This one especially because the author Ruta Sepetys writes a great narrative.
Happy March!
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