Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

22 reviews

silver_lining_in_a_book's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 

Paradise: If communism is Paradise, why do we need barriers, walls, and laws to keep people from escaping?

Like any of Ruta Sepetys' books, I Must Betray You is a masterpiece of historical fiction and should serve as a reminder to other historical fiction authors of the responsibility they have to accurately and honestly portray the experiences of people who have lived through the true historical events. This specific story was very close to my heart as one side of my family is Romanian and had to live through the oppressive communist regime that suffocated many different nations and communities.

How could we expect others to feel our pain or hear our cries for help when all we could do was whisper?

I was a little disappointed when at the start of this book as the dry writing style and the slow, uneventful nature of the book grated on me. It did not quite feel like the previous books I have read from this author, but I do think this served a purpose. It put me in the mind of Cristian, our protagonist, and the muted, grey atmosphere he was constantly living in. The beginning feels cold, dull and suffocating because that is very much what life under Ceausescu was like.

Good luck comes at a price. Bad luck is free.

The more I read, the more I fell in love with these characters, who felt real and - more notably - absolutely terrified. The nagging sensation that you were being spied on, monitored and manipulated was a constant and Sepetys captured it so well. The entire scope of the story is not visible to the reader - not even having reached the end of the book - and that is so representative of the lack of clarity and closure that many Romanians had to deal with following Romania's fight for independence.

An old woman is fast asleep when she hears a knock at the door.
Who is it? she whispers, terrified.
It is death, the voice answers.
Oh, good. I thought it might be the Securitate.

The interactions in this book were so human, which was what really stood out for me. People were not fighting or dreaming of a better life, they were simply doing the best that they could to survive. It is important to note that this novel is intended for a younger audience than myself, so certain parts of the book did feel a little bit simplified or sugar-coated to allow for these readers to digest the information. I would love to have seen a more in-depth exploration of this period in time, but - for what Sepetys intended - I think this book was successful.

As the saying goes, better to die standing than live kneeling.

I do not think that this book is perfect. I think there are some issues with the characterisation of certain characters, its pacing and how easily certain issues are brushed over. However, I do think that it is very important. The longer I sit with this book, the more I feel that it has had a profound impact on me -- I feel like I am living in 1989 Romania and I can feel the fear and paranoia that many of my family members experienced. I am incredibly grateful to Ruta Sepetys for creating this work of art; it is a time period and a people that do not get as much consideration and attention as they deserve.

You’re wrong. They steal our power by making us believe we don’t have any. They’re controlling us through our own fear.

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Confinement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Kidnapping, and War

Moderate: Sexism, Addiction, Grief, Alcohol, and Police brutality

Minor: Vomit, Animal cruelty, and Xenophobia

chocolatechump's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Gun violence, Torture, Confinement, and Police brutality

nickymaund's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Terminal illness, Police brutality, Torture, Confinement, Excrement, Blood, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and War

befrazzledenby's review against another edition

read the trigger warnings first y'all whew

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Cancer, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, War, Child death, Genocide, Medical content, Body horror, Sexual violence, Death, and Confinement

emerald_reader's review

adventurous emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Violence, Torture, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

Minor: Gaslighting, Confinement, Blood, Death, and Deportation

addyruth17's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book reminded me of the way I got sucked into Ally Carter books in middle school, with a delicious extra Les Mis flavor to it. I'm upset I didn't know this history before; I'm so glad Sepetys is sharing it in such an accessible and engaging way.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Police brutality, and Blood

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Medical content, and Terminal illness

Minor: Confinement, Excrement, and Sexual harassment

quiettalker's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

A really informative and interesting book. I felt that the first half was handled better and had better pacing.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Excrement, Torture, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, and Gun violence

violet_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I can't believe I waited this long to read a book by Ruta Sepetys! What an amazing author, I was completely immersed in the story. The characters are so well written that they are all brought to life. Even secondary characters are more than just props for the main characters. Really loved this one and I can't wait to read more by Sepetys.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, War, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, and Gore

Moderate: Excrement, Torture, Grief, and Blood

yuna's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wish New Adult was more accepted in tradpub because I think this might have benefited from being told from the POV of a university student rather than high school. Wasn't a fan of the super short chapters--didn't think they heightened tension or kept it feeling "fast" since a lot of the time it caused a hard reset. Drama felt more manufactured than natural and horrifying.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Confinement, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, and Torture

lyzz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is my second Ruta Sepetys' book after reading Salt to the Sea several years ago. I loved this one just as much as Salt to the Sea.  

This book is set on the cusp of the Romanian Revolution in 1989.  Starting this book, I knew next to nothing about Romania aside from them having great gymnasts.  The book focuses on a teenager named Cristian who is recruited to be part of the spy network run by the Romanian government.  

This is a fantastic book.  It was informative, fast-paced and thoughtful. I learned so much about the country of Romania in this book. It makes me want to learn more about their history and their culture. This was a different type of historical fiction for me - historical thriller. I *loved* the pacing of this book. There are short chapters and the book clips along. Sometimes books that focus on pacing are short on character development - but I thought the author did a thoughtful amount of development of the main character and his family members.  

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. This would be a perfect book for someone trying out historical fiction or a seasoned reader.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Physical abuse, Blood, Violence, Confinement, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Gun violence, and War

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

This focuses on state sponsored blackmail by recruiting a teenager to report on his family and friends. This leads to a state of paranoia throughout the book. There is state sponsored violence by depriving the citizen's of food, heat and medical care. Cristian's grandfather is tortured to death and found in their apartment. Towards the end of the book, there is a revolution and there is graphic scenes of death, torture, murder, police brutality. There are also references to Cristian's sister being involved in state sponsored prostitution/sexual assault.