The world described in I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys reminds me of Orwell's 1984, but unlike that book, it is not a fictional world that she describes but Romania in 1989. I find historical fiction like this particularly fascinating because is not distant history she describes, but an era that I lived through from a safe distance. I remember hearing about Ceaușescu, their communist leader, on the news, but I knew little about them. While I was attending keg parties and cramming for college, Romanians my age were fighting and dying for their basic human rights. I know I am not alone and many Americans know even less than I do about this part of the world. Few of us know more than that it is where Transylvania is, home of an infamous vampire created by an Irish writer of fiction. Many don't even don't even realize Transylvania is a real place, but think it a fictional land like Oz or Middle Earth. The reality is that Dracula's Romania was probably a better world to live in than communist Romania.
After World War II, Romania became friends with USSR. Due to Soviet influence, communism took hold and they forced their King, Michael, to abdicate and live in exile. Nicolae Ceaușescu took power in 1960 and stayed in power until he was overthrown in 1989, the last among their neighbors to overthrow the yoke of communistic rule. During his rule, Ceaușescu pulled a fast one on the West when he convinced the rulers of the free world that he was a benevolent ruler when the exact opposite was true. Of the leaders behind the iron curtain, he was perhaps the most monstrous, but because he stood up to the Soviet Union, American presidents (Carter, Ford, Nixon) and British royalty held photo opts with him and hosted state dinners in his honor. Many of us got pissed when Trump did so with Kim Jong-un. This is similar, except the world knows of the human rights abuses in North Korea. The world knew nothing of what was going on in Romania at the time of Ceaușescu. The free world knew little about life in the Soviet Union at time, but we knew even less of Romania.
Romania's economy did well in the post war period which continued into the 1970's but by the 1980's, their debts came due and extreme rationing measures were instituted. Electricity was turned off periodically, similar to what is happening in Lebanon now. Ceaușescu government's had no problem producing power, but they sold it to the Soviet Union to cover their debts rather than supplying it to their citizens. Sepetys's book cites stories of babies dying in hospitals because they lost electricity during the birth. This affected everyday lives as well. Just imagine your dinner being interrupted by the loss of power, you'd be stuck with a half cooked meal or perhaps eating in the dark. It gets very cold in Romania. They would heat up bricks to keep their feet warm at night.
Inflation was so bad that no one used the Romanian currency. Cigarettes like Kents and BTs were used as currency. Service workers, like doctors and plumbers, would have stockpiles of cigarettes and other contrabands. They could make deals with the black market for security and actually make a decent living while those around them starved. The state run stores had long lines. You could wait hours, after a long day of work, and get nothing because they were out of stock before your turn came. Most of their life was spent working or in line. She describes people being very tired.
We hear a lot about Nazi Germany's Gestapo and East Germany's Stasi. Romania's Securitate is just as notorious. An estimated one-in-ten Romanian citizens were informers, called "Reporters," for the Securitate. They were a brutal police force that detained thousands and subjected them to torture, starvation and death. In a regime of total control, you could be reported for having contraband like an American dollar or any product that was not sold in Romanian. Ceaușescu was trying to increase the birth rate so he'd use the Securitate to monitor women. Population growth was badly needed to produce more workers. If you were childless, you were taxed. Women were periodically checked for pregnancy at their place of employment.
When you live in such a world, rumors can make things worse. Perception is reality. Any injustice you can think of is believable. When you believe that all the phones are bugged and that everyone you know could be an informer, whenever true or not, can be very stressful. They whispered in their own homes so that they couldn't be heard.
I recently reminded my son that he hit the lottery just by being born in the free world. No doubt he doesn't get it, just like I didn't. I don't think I ever will completely understand, but this book put it in better perspective.
