YA Book Review: Salt to Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Salt to Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Almost everyone knows about the Titanic and how it sank after running into an Iceberg in 1912, or perhaps the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. In each instance, about 1,500 people died. But it seems not as many people today know about the sinking of The Wilhelm Gustloff from 1945, a tragedy that was six times deadlier near the end of World War II.

In Salt to Sea, Ruta Sepetys tells the story of four teen refugees who are traveling with four secrets. All four are looking to escape the horrors of war in Eastern Europe in 1945 as the Russian army pushes the Nazis back but advances toward them.

Joana is a Lithuanian nurse.

Florian is an artist with dangerous cargo.

Emelia is 15, polish, and pregnant.

And Alfred is a German soldier working on the Wilhem Gustloff.

Joana, Florian, and Emelia are looking to get on board the Gustloff and evacuate Eastern Europe any way they can, although the know the odds of getting on board a crowded boat are slim.

Some of these characters we find to be heroes, some we judge to be cowards. There is nothing like war to bring out our true characters.

Sepetys is a master storyteller of historic fiction tales; we care about the characters while learning a bit of history that has been all too easily lost in the broader scope of war and the past. Sepetys also wrote Between Shades of Grey, about the Stalin's secret police force, the N.K.V.D., during the same time period. In fact, the main character from Between Shades of Grey has a connection to, and gets a mention in, Salt to Sea.

This novel has won dozens of national and state awards, and is on the Missouri Gateway Readers Award nominee list for 2018-19. Even if you're note usually a fan of historical fiction, this is a top-rate novel that is well worth your time.