Cristian is astounded at how warm Dan’s family’s apartment is – nearly 65 Fahrenheit. The teacher bellows and the students are silent.

Cristian sits in a class of 40, all wearing uniforms that are covered up by coats, mufflers, and gloves because the school is unheated. The contrast between Cristian and the American teenager he is supposed to spy on is extreme. I liked his sister much better! Having read Sepetys’ first novel, Between Shades of Gray, about a Lithuanian girl transported to Siberia, I knew her ability to create a strong sense of place and memorable characters in a few words. I will admit I was not expecting it to be quite so bleak and I didn’t really like Cristian very much, even when he started fighting for Romania’s freedom. My Impression: This is such a dark and chilling book that my friend Susan stopped reading halfway through. It is up to young people like him to lead a revolution if they are brave enough to disregard the danger.

But as other communist regimes start to fall, Cristian begins to realize the world has forgotten Romania. Cristian’s parents and sister are so afraid of betrayal to the authorities by their neighbors they constantly beg Cristian not to complain about conditions or even speak above a whisper. He knows he has no choice, especially when they promise him medicine for his grandfather, a firebrand in his youth, now suffering with leukemia. Specifically, he is told to befriend the American diplomat’s family his mother cleans for and report on them. But he also has serious problems – government agents who demand he become an informant or his family will suffer. Like many boys, he’s interested in a girl who goes to school with him and has a sister who sees right through him. He lives under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu in a small apartment with his parents, older sister, and grandfather. Publication: Philomel Books, Random House, hardcover, 2022ĭescription: Cristian Florescu has never had a normal teenage life.

I must betray you chapter summary