Likewise, Cristian accompanies Dan to the American Library, where he reads issues of Time magazine. Dan provides Cristian with a glimpse into American culture, sharing home videos Dan’s friends sent him from the US. The two share an illegal Coca-Cola and difficult-to-obtain chocolate.Ĭristian provides information about the contents of the Van Dorns’ home, specifically about the bedroom of Dan, their teenage son. The two meet in secret in the stairwell of Liliana’s apartment and attend “movie nights” in which illegal American films are shown. Cristian becomes close to Liliana Pavel, a schoolmate for whom he holds romantic feelings. He worries most about Bunu, an outspoken critic of Ceauşescu’s regime, and Cici, a seamstress with occasional dealings on the illicit market. In the weeks that follow his agreeing to inform, Cristian is plagued by guilt, certain that one of his family members will sense his anxious state and discover that he is betraying them. Government surveillance is ubiquitous, and citizens live in constant fear that their words or actions could make them a target. Conditions throughout the country are dire, with food in short supply and electricity unreliable.

The oppressive dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu controls Romania, where it is illegal to voice any dissent against the government. Cristian agrees and is given the code name “Oscar.” (Between chapters of Cristian’s narrative, Sepetys places reports by the Securitate which detail the interactions between agents and informers and contain information obtained via surveillance.) A government agent promises Cristian medication for Bunu’s leukemia in exchange for information about the Americans. The communist government wishes to obtain information about the Van Dorns, a family of American diplomats in whose home Cristian’s mother works as a housekeeper. This guide refers to the 2022 hardcover version published by Philomel Books, Penguin Random House.Ĭristian Florescu, the narrator, is a 17-year-old student living in Bucharest, Romania, with his parents, older sister, Cici, and grandfather, whom he calls Bunu. Her novels are widely enjoyed by adults and teens alike and frequently appear on the New York Times Best Sellers list. These titles have received dozens of awards, including a Carnegie Medal for Salt to the Sea (2016). Sepetys, a Lithuanian American and daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, has written four other young adult novels that similarly explore historical events.

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