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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Political violence; the Securitate's brutality and the events of the Romanian Revolution are depicted
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The psychological horror of a surveillance state and the cost of being forced to betray the people you love are the novel's central concern; deeply disturbing for what it reveals about living under totalitarianism
What this book is about
Ruta Sepetys's historical YA novel is set in Romania in the final days of Ceaușescu's Communist regime, following seventeen-year-old Cristian, who is blackmailed into informing on his neighbors and family for the secret police. As the revolution of 1989 approaches, Cristian must decide what kind of person he will be. Sepetys writes about Communist repression with the same emotional intelligence she brought to Between Shades of Gray. The violence of the Securitate and the revolution is depicted honestly.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Surveillance state and forced informing
Romanian Revolution violence
Reader Verification
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