Review – Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: February 2, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-0399160301
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars
“World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.
Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I bought myself.
Story (4/5): The story rotates between four characters (Joana, Emilia, Florian, and Alfred). Joana, Emilia, and Florian are traveling with each other off and on as they journey to the Wilhelm Gustloff. Most of the story details their journey to the ship and I wish more time had been spent on the ship and the aftermath of the disaster that occurred. The ending felt really, really rushed and the journey to the ship seemed a bit long and uneventful. I do love that this shows us a glimpse into a tragedy that really isn’t talked about much. I had never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff before reading this and didn’t realize how many people died in these events.
Characters (4/5): There are four main characters in this book: Joana, Emilia, Florian, and Alfred. Joana is a nurse who is desperate to get back to safety and finish her medical studies. Florian is a German with a knack for forgery who has a secret. Emilia is Polish and is fleeing something and has secrets of her own. Alfred is a German soldier working to prep the ships for sailing. While I enjoyed the rotating perspectives for the most part, I struggled to see what role Alfred actually played in the story…aside from giving us a German soldier’s perspective. I felt like the story would have been just as complete without his parts.
Setting (4/5): This takes place at the end of WWII while German refugees are fleeing Russian territory. They are trying to get to a group of ships that will take them to safety. The setting is cold, bleak, and filled with the aftermath of the horrors of war. The end of the book takes place on the Wilhelm Gustloff. The setting has a huge impact on the desperate atmosphere of this story.
Writing Style (4/5): The writing was easy to read and flowed well. I did think that having four perspectives dragged the story out a bit longer than it needed to be. As I mentioned, I thought the parts from Alfred’s perspective were pretty unnecessary. I guess they show the ship getting prepped, but aside from that they just didn’t have a lot of impact for me.
Summary (4/5): Overall a very well done story about a lesser known WWII event that was even more horrific and tragic than the Titanic sinking. I didn’t like it quite as much as “Fountains of Silence”, that was just a better paced and more interesting story to me. I would recommend to those who are interested in WWII and learning about events in WWII that are lesser known but just as deadly as events more commonly learned about.
