Book Review: I Must Betray You, by Ruta Sepetys

Sepetys usually writes about little-known aspects of war or politics, and I Must Betray You is no exception.

It's hard to read. The political situation in Romania in the 1970s and 1980s was so horrific -- and pretty much hidden from the rest of the world. Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Communist dictator that ran the most isolated and oppressive nation in the world. People always stood in line for very little food. Coats were worn inside since little heat was available. Students were required to attend school six days a week. But the biggest issue was the fear.  People were afraid of each other. There was no place to talk, no one to trust. Not even within families.

Christian Florescu is a seventeen-year-old high school student who has been turned in to the secret police for supposed illegal activities, and they bribe him to become an informer. He's trying to navigate his teen years with the usual romantic endeavors. He wants to become a writer, but that seems impossible at this time.

The story starts in October of 1989, and if you know history (which I looked up), Ceaușescu is executed in December of 1989. Christian becomes involved in the resistance and is put in grave danger.

I Must Betray You is compulsively readable. The chapters are short and because of the conditions, the tension is constant. As usual, there are detailed notes at the end and an extensive bibliography. This was an eye-opening book for me, and teens, as well as adults, should consider I Must Betray You. 

Published by Philomel, February 1, 2022
Copy obtained from the library
336 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Book of Lost Friends, by Lisa Wingate

Yay! I finally finished a book! It would seem that since we are all sitting at home by ourselves that it would be conducive to reading. But for me, that has not been the case...

The Book of Lost Friends takes us back to 1875, where our narrator is Hannie, a former slave in this recent post-civil-war era.

And, back to 1987, where our narrator Benny is a brand new teacher in a small backwoods Louisiana school for black children.

We learn how Hannie was separated from her mom and many siblings when she was very young. Now she is just trying to work her land so that it will eventually belong to her. When the master of the plantation disappears, Hannie is worried that all their hard work will be for nothing if they can't find the papers that were signed when they began to work the land. She goes on a harrowing adventure with some unlikely companions to find the master. On this adventure, she learns about a newspaper called the Southwestern that runs ads from black people who are looking for family that they were separated from before the war. Hannie and her companions begin to collect these stories and record them in a book as they travel.

Benny is struggling to connect with her students. They are poor and hungry and many of them don't come to school very much. She finds out the abandoned Gossett mansion close to her rented house contains a treasure trove of books. She vows to talk to her landlord about possibly getting her hands on some of them for use in her classroom. Doing this opens up a whole new history and gets Benny's students interested in learning about their pasts.

I don't want to say too much about how the two stories come together--I'm sure some of it is obvious to you. But the way it all is revealed is a very good story to read. Anyone who is interested in the history of the South and slavery shouldn't miss it.  I did find The Book of Lost Friends a bit slow at times, but the characterizations are so good that you really become attached to these people.

You may have to persevere (I certainly did) -- but I think you will find The Book of Lost Friends well worth your time.

Published by Ballantine, April 7, 2020
eARC obtained from NetGalley
400 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: South of Broad by Pat Conroy

I've been told by several people that I should read a Pat Conroy novel. I finally got around to it and was not disappointed. I chose South of Broad because I own it -- by "hand-me-down." Not sure who gave it to me.

Our narrator, Leo, loves his home town of Charleston, South Carolina. Leo had a traumatic childhood. He finds his older brother dead from a suicide, wrists slit open, in the bathtub. His life spirals after that. His mother seems to not care about Leo, he ends up being arrested for a crime he didn't commit, he spends some time in a mental institution, and he does his community service by taking care of a cantankerous old man.

His mother is the principal at the high school Leo attends, and in the 1960s desegregation is just beginning. Leo becomes friends with an unlikely group of kids. New neighbors, Trevor and Sheba, who live with there alcoholic mother. Starla, Niles, and Betty live in an orphanage in town. Ike is the son of the new (African American) football coach. And Chad, Molly, and Fraser are from rich, upperclass families from South of Broad, who got in trouble at their private school and must now attend Leo's school.

South of Broad switches back and forth from the 60s to the 80s, as Leo outlines the progression of the relationships within this mismatched group. There seem to be more "downs" than "ups" for most of them. From the racial tensions of the 1960s South, to the aids epidemic in 1980s San Francisco, to Hurrican Hugo in 1989, the story is a saga, as well as an homage to Charleston.

Conroy's writing draws you into the lives of these people and the atmosphere of Charleston in the 60s. If you haven't read any of his novels, I will recommend him -- as he was recommended to me. South of Broad was not one of his better-received novels, although certainly a best-seller, so I'll be sure to seek out another of his novels soon.

Published by Nan A. Telese, 2009
Copy obtained from a gift
514 pages

Rating: 5/5

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