by Ruta Sepetys
First published 2022
Cristian Florescu wants to write, but in 1989 Romania, dreams can be dangerous. The secret police corner the seventeen-year-old with an ultimatum: become their informer or face the consequences. Ceaușescu's regime controls every aspect of life through surveillance and terror. Cristian must choose between betraying his loved ones and risking everything to resist. He decides to use his forced position against the dictatorship itself. As communist governments fall across Europe, Cristian works to expose the truth about his country to the outside world. He gives voice to fellow citizens trapped under oppression. When revolution finally comes to Romania, Cristian joins the fight for change. But freedom demands a price that will test everything he believes about loyalty, courage, and sacrifice.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, political-thriller, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Romania
Period: 1989
321 pages · Hardcover · Penguin