Reviews with content warning for Torture - Трябва да те предам

Ruta Sepetys writes some of the most beautiful and important books I've read, and this novel is no exception. Sepetys crafts a haunting yet inspiring story of Romanian suffering under communism and the incredible courage of their young people.

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an_everyday_penguin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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ashylibrarian's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Ruta Sepetys does it again with an amazingly crafted historical fiction, uncovering the hidden history of Romania. I wanted to cry, laugh, fight, and escape while reading.

I reread this book for a work book discussion I host with one of our high schools, and it was even better the second time around. I Must Betray You is haunting, heartbreaking, and powerful. The characters all have such important parts to the plot and are each uniquely their own with their own secrets.

As a book discussion group, we were able to talk with a teacher who had been living in Romania under the communist regime as a teenager, and she said that this book is 100% accurate to the events that occurred. It was horrifying to hear that, but I am also always so impressed with the research, detail, emotion, and perspective that Sepetys puts into her novels. She easily remains one of my favorite authors of all time.

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roemsy's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

“How could we expect others to feel our pain or hear our cries for help when all we could do was whisper?” I stayed up til 1am to finish this book. Phenomenal. Admittedly I am terrible with history and didn’t know much about the Romanian Revolution so this book was shocking to me. The author did such a good job building up the constant tension that was a part of the country at the time due to the constant surveillance (or fear of). The chapters were only a few pages each so I couldn’t put it down and I’m really so glad I read this book. I will definitely be doing my own research on the events that took place here because the author is right, these people deserve to have their stories told. 10/10 would recommend.

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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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dark informative tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring 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

I Must Betray You is the second book I've read by Ruta Sepetys and, my goodness, I was not disappointed.

Following seventeen-year-old Cristian, we are brought into the communist regime in Romania during the late 1980s. After being caught accepting a gift of American currency, he's forced to become an informer, mainly focusing on the American family his mother works for. He has to choose between friendship and his life as well as his family's.

The story has a strong focus on friendship and the difficulties of maintaining relationships in a place where nobody can trust anybody, even their own families. Cristian's grandfather speaks more openly about the corruption he's seen, causing extra worry about listening devices and agents breaking into their own. Cristian already suspects someone close to him has been informing on him given how much the agent who recruited him seems to know.

Through his American friends, Cristian is able to get an honest look at life in America rather than the lies the government has been feeding them. He realizes they have fridges full of food, wait in lines voluntarily, and is mystified by the existence Disneyland. What's more, is that he finds a photograph of Nicolae Ceaușescu visiting this place. Meanwhile, Romanians are being forced to suffer and live in isolation and fear. Cristian starts to think that maybe he can start to use his role as an informer to his advantage in an act of resistance.

This is an emotional, twisty, action-filled story about a time so overlooked in history. I thought I was well-versed in the Cold War, but this book has taught me otherwise. I never knew they suffered so much as a nation. The end of the book has a number of photographs and quotes from this time which added a lot of context to the story. And though it was fast-paced, it didn't miss a beat in terms of plot or being able to connect to the characters.

I loved this book as much as I loved The Fountains of Silence if not more. I'm looking forward to reading more from Ruta Sepetys. I'm officially hooked!

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breedawnwriter's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I Must Betray You is a very sobering look at an often unrecognized part of history.

It is dark, disturbing, and unsettling, but it is also deeply moving.

This story is fiction, but Romania’s history is not.

I urge you to read this book. It will touch your soul, and remind you never to take anything for granted.

The characters in this story are deeply conflicted, and story builds with a sense that something terrifying is coming.

The middle drags a bit, but when it picks up, you will be unable to look away, but horrified that you want to know what happens next.

Content warnings: Death, mass murder, blood, gun violence, descriptions of injuries that some people may find disturbing, kissing (not graphic).

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