Today I’m sharing my thoughts on the audiobook “I Must Betray You” by Ruta Sepetys, which features narration by Edoardo Ballerini and Ruta Sepetys herself. The runtime is 7 hours and 10 minutes.
*DISCLAIMER* This review does contain spoilers.
This book centers around Cristian, a 17-year-old boy navigating the difficulties of adolescence in 1989 Romania. The story is both humbling and thought-provoking, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.
The book’s central theme was “Who betrayed Cristian?,” and it was my favorite aspect of the story. Throughout the book, Cristian suspects everyone he interacts with of selling him out. At first, he believes it was his best friend, and he punches him and barely talks to him for most of the book. Then, he thinks it was the shady local guy, so Cristian watches him closely. Eventually, he suspects everyone, and paranoia sets in. Finally, there’s a reveal during the rebellion, and I found myself gasping in shock. Cristian’s sister, one of the last people he would have suspected, was the traitor. But then, in the last chapter, his mother is revealed as the true culprit. Remarkably, Cristian seems unfazed by this revelation. In the end, he simply wants to know the truth, and he accepts whatever comes his way. This is what makes the book so compelling: Sepetys masterfully integrated this theme into the story in an edge-of-your-seat way that left me wanting more.
The character exhibited a great deal of paranoia, likely due to the presence of the secret police force known as the Securitate. The Securitate relied heavily on informants, causing widespread suspicion among the populace. In fact, it was the fear of informants that ultimately led Cristian to become one himself. Throughout the book, he constantly questioned whether his actions, from his daily walks to his choice of company and purchases at the store, might be seen as suspicious.
I appreciated how Cristian’s “friendship” with an American teenage boy was portrayed. Through their interactions, the readers were able to understand the extent of Cristian’s suppression and poverty. There was a moment when he saw a bowl of bananas and was surprised that they were not being eaten, as he himself cannot indulge in such luxuries.
I would like to recommend this book, particularly if you enjoy reading stories set in the past. In my opinion, this book deserves a rating of 9 out of 10.
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