Ruta Sepetys is an internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a "crossover" novelist, as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. Her novels Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, Salt to the Sea and The Fountains of Silence have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists. Between Shades of Gray was adapted into film Ashes in the Snow, and her other novels are currently in development for TV and film. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, to the European Parliament, in the United States Capitol, and at embassies worldwide. Ruta was born and raised in Michigan and now lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. You can find Ruta Sepetys at rutasepetys.com or follow her on Facebook @RutaSepetys and on Instagram @rutasepetysauthor. You can find more of my reviews of Ruta's works here.
Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren't free to dream: they are bound by rules and force. Amid the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is black-mailed by the secret police to become an informer. He's left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe. Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom? Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit.
The story starts with this framework that the story we're about to read was discovered in a graveyard, in a metal box. This is incredibly interesting, as it signaled to me right off the bat that Cristian was so influenced by his country's reputation of silence and secrets that he could only share the story "from beyond the grave." I wasn't entirely sure who or what died, or what made the graveyard the choice, but once you reach that part in the ending, it feels like it all comes together. Instead of going to a publisher, or self-publishing, Cristian wanted a specific someone to know how it ended—or, how the revolution started, as that is really what this book is about. This framework is compelling as well, because it makes us feel like we're the ones who opened the box—which, knowing the ending line of the novel as well is super masterful! Ruta knows just how to tie things back together, and this framework is just one of those things in the novel.
Romania during the communist regime was characterized by silence, and by betrayal. For readers to truly understand the terror of this, Ruta included excerpts of reports from informers. While it is creepy to think that other people are reporting on your mundane (and not-so-mundane) activities, it is even creepier reading those reports in black-and-white text on the page. The text isn't littered with them, but rather they are included in incredibly strategic points, just when we need to feel the heightened suspense in the story. These reports build suspense surrounding Cristian's story, but they also heighten the suspense for the readers, who are trying to figure out who is an informer and who isn't.
A lot of historical fiction is based in what we already know—the World Wars, during Regency and Victorian eras, during events we learn about in detail in school. Romania under the communist regime is something we rarely hear about, and certainly don't learn about in detail, so while Sepetys is truly crafting a historical fiction novel, there is something in the way it's crafted that leaves us guessing about what's going to happen, just like Cristian. The prose is pretty sparse—the chapters are short, and because Cristian is a poet, he doesn't need long paragraphs to get to the heart of what he wants to say. That means we're really guessing about what's going to happen, and rushing towards the events that are going to change everything. While this prose wasn't my favorite of Sepetys', I respected how the novel was crafted to really intrinsically reflect the time period, and the character lens.
As we can see from the ending, Sepetys always, always does her research. What makes this novel—all of her novels, in fact—feel so incredibly authentic is the way she works hard prior to sitting down and writing. It's what makes all the details feel so true to life, and what helps us as readers really understand what it would have been like to be in Cristian's or Liliana's or Cici's shoes. The way Ruta really dedicates herself to telling a true historical story, and giving the true history the voice it deserves is admirable, and is why her books will remain cornerstones of historical fiction for a very long time. I can't wait to see what Ruta researches and writes next!
Ruta Sepetys is an instant-buy author for me, so you bet when her next book hits shelves, I'll be reading and reviewing! Until then, you can find Ruta at rutasepetys.com, or on Facebook @RutaSepetys or on Instagram @rutasepetysauthor. You can find more of my reviews of Ruta's works here.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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