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84 pages 2 hours read

Ruta Sepetys

I Must Betray You

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2022

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Chapters 53-62Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 53 Summary

Cristian is summoned again to speak with the Securitate. He briefly debates how he should behave around the agent but immediately blurts out the news of Bunu’s death. The agent offers condolences, explaining that Bunu had a mental health condition. Cristian is guarded, certain that he cannot trust the agent. He attempts to speak with him about soccer, but instead the agent brings up Bruce Springsteen. This lets Cristian know that someone must be informing on him because he never told the agent about the magazine article. He questions Cristian about the contents of Mr. Van Dorn’s desk. Cristian tells him about the American newspapers and magazines but does not offer much detail. The agent notes that, with Mrs. Van Dorn and Dan leaving for the upcoming holiday, Mr. Van Dorn will be alone in the apartment.

Chapter 54 Summary

Cristian leaves, disappointed that he was not able to manipulate the agent. Starfish offers to sell him American papers. Cristian considers this, asking to see the papers first. A cross and candles adorn his apartment building once more and he knows that the elderly woman has passed away. He shares his condolences with the daughter, who is making plans to leave for Boston in a few days. She offers Cristian coffee, but he refuses, recalling Bunu’s friend’s advice to beware of coffee. Once inside his apartment, Cristian discovers that the Bruce Springsteen magazine article is gone and knows that the Securitate took it.

Chapter 55 Summary

Cristian finds himself missing Bunu. On one occasion, the family is at home and watches the nightly news after a meager dinner. The report tells of a protest taking place in Timişoara—a city in western Romania—in opposition to the forced removal of a religious leader. Cristian’s mother is fearful that the repercussions of speaking out will be awful for Romania’s citizens, but Cristian is joyous. He feels Romania is finally following suit with its neighbors, taking steps to oust their oppressors.

Chapter 56 Summary

Excited by the protest, Cristian looks at a map of Romania to determine the distance from Timişoara to Bucharest. He speculates how he and other teens might travel there and whispers to Bunu that the fall of communism in Romania is finally starting. Yet, he knows that Ceauşescu will not give in easily and will not hesitate to kill to maintain power.

Chapter 57 Summary

The next day, Cristian rushes to school, eager to gather a group of fellow students to engage in protests (though gathering in groups is illegal). He is frustrated by the fearful state his family lives in and misses Bunu’s bravery. At school, no one seems to know of the activities in Timişoara. On his walk home, however, he discovers that Luca, too, wishes to support the actions of the dissenters. Cristian stresses that they will be more effective in a group than as individuals, and Luca makes plans to discover what actions local university students might be planning. Cristian and Luca devise a signal for sharing information.

Cristian then encounters Starfish who says he will give him the American papers the following day. He tells Cristian that Ceauşescu has left for Iran, and Cristian worries that this means he is not taking the Timişoara protests seriously.

That night, the family listens to more news reports. They hear a tape that was smuggled out of Romania by a German. The tape contains shouts and sounds of gunfire, and Cristian is immediately enraged that Romanian officials are killing their own citizens. To his surprise, his father agrees with him and says that the family must prepare to fight back.

Chapter 58 Summary

The next morning, Cristian receives a signal to meet Luca. Luca informs him that university dorms are under surveillance and that it is reported that Ceauşescu plans to give an address that night. Starfish approaches as the two separate and tells Cristian he has English papers of value that he will sell to him. Cristian is unsure if they are worth buying, but Starfish insists that they contain information that would have interested Bunu. Starfish has heard of the arrival of the new American ambassador. Cristian returns to his apartment to retrieve the dollar, which is in a box that Cici keeps locked. After getting the key, Cristian sifts through the contents and is shocked to find not only a large quantity of American currency but the missing Bruce Springsteen article. Cristian is certain this means Cici is working for the Securitate.

Chapter 59 Summary

Cristian does not remove the dollar from the box; instead, he removes a few from the envelope of currency found beside it. He hears Cici speaking with the woman from Boston in the hallway. Cristian leaves and pays Starfish for the papers. After Starfish leaves, Cristian remains outside, considering possible explanations for why Cici has taken the Springsteen article. Cristian is confused and disgusted by the thought of Cici betraying him and their family.

Chapter 60 Summary

Cristian goes to Luca’s apartment. He is there with his four sisters and is unable to speak with Cristian privately. Because they fear being overheard, the boys communicate by writing. Cristian explains that he previously believed Luca to be an informer because the Securitate knew of Cristian’s American dollar. Cristian also reveals that he suspects Cici of informing. Luca is shocked and offers to help Cristian. They burn the paper they wrote on and then tussle as they did when they were young boys. Cristian leaves the apartment a bit lighter but still carries the guilt that he is an informer. He encounters Liliana entering the apartment as he exits, and she reveals to Cristian her astrology sign, which he has always wondered about.

Chapter 61 Summary

Back at home, Cristian again considers explanations for the items in Cici’s box. He reads the papers he purchased from Starfish. It is a report by Amnesty International, published two years prior. It details human rights violations in Romania, including the beating and torturing of political prisoners. Cristian thinks of Bunu. Cici calls to him that Ceauşescu is preparing to speak. Cristian does not wish to listen but hears snatches of the speech. He knows the papers he now possesses are dangerous and that he must therefore keep them on his person. He decides he must confront Cici to learn the truth about her actions.

Chapter 62 Summary

The next day, Cristian leaves the apartment at five o’clock in the morning, dressed warmly as if he plans to stand in a food line. Instead, he hides outside, waiting for Cici to leave the building, then follows her. Before long, she enters the passenger side of a black Dacia. Cristian approaches it to find Paddle Hands in the driver’s seat. Cristian runs, but the car catches him. Cristian accuses Cici of being an informer, but she protests, insisting she acted to protect Bunu, whom she knew was being poisoned. She says she was promised a passport and medication for Bunu. Cristian accuses Cici of framing him by placing the American dollar inside his stamp album, and Cici confesses. Cristian further accuses her of being responsible for Bunu’s death. Suddenly he realizes that Cici must be the one who informed on Liliana’s father.

Chapters 53-62 Analysis

Though Bunu has been killed, the Securitate continues to use Cristian to advance its efforts. Cristian interacts with Paddle Hands more boldly—speaking of Bunu’s death and attempting to engage him in conversation about soccer—yet his attempts do not pay off. The Timişoara protest is the first chink in Ceauşescu’s armor. Cristian’s excitement cannot be contained, though he knows the price Romanians will pay for freedom will be steep. Cristian is surprised when his father—who has remained silent for months—speaks out against the regime. The show of solidarity with the protestors in Timişoara is inspiring to Cristian, and his father provides a counterbalance to his mother, who refuses to speak out against the regime. Their common interest in the actions in Timişoara serves to reestablish Cristian’s and Luca’s friendship. Cristian feels he can trust Luca once more and confesses to him that he believed Luca to be an informer. Luca’s response shows a genuine sense of care and support. From here, the boys seek out ways they might partake in acts of resistance in Bucharest. That Luca shares Cristian’s disdain for the regime provides him with a much-needed ally and confidant in light of Bunu’s absence. Their commitment to one another will endure throughout the remainder of the novel.

The risk Cristian took by keeping the Bruce Springsteen article comes to a head when he discovers it missing. Initially, Cristian is certain that the Securitate entered the apartment. Cristian takes another risk by agreeing to purchase papers that Starfish promises will interest him. He must weigh this decision carefully as the currency could be spent on things that would benefit the family. Similarly, Cristian is still unsure whether Starfish can be trusted. The Amnesty International papers show Cristian that the organization is aware of human rights violations in Romania. Cristian is desperate to know if the West is aware of the conditions in Romania, and it appears, at least to a degree, it is. Secondly, the papers are illegal for Cristian to possess. Cristian realizes that they are too dangerous to leave unattended, and he must carry them on his person. This is risky if he is ever searched, giving evidence of his increasing boldness as his frustration continues.

Cristian is shocked to find that Cici took the Bruce Springsteen article. That Cristian never suspected Cici might be an informer speaks to how strongly he trusted her. Perhaps his guilt over his informing prevented him from considering this. The love Cici showed him appeared genuine, but now Cristian is convinced it was an act. His unwillingness to allow her to explain herself conveys the degree of contempt he holds. Indeed, Cici’s betrayal is an affront that Cristian is never able to forgive. Though readers may recognize the similarities in the position Cristian found himself in when he agreed to inform, it seems Cristian does not. It is possible that Cici also had no choice but to assist the Securitate—and that she did so to protect her family—but Cristian cannot or is not willing to consider this. She insists that she too was promised medication for Bunu, though she admits to placing the American dollar in Cristian’s stamp album. Both characters must decide how to balance assisting their family with their self-interest.

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