Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Salt to the Sea

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Release Date: October 11, 2015

Length: 391 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Young Adult

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***My Review***

The Titanic accident is well-known to everyone, yet few people are aware of one of the worst maritime tragedies… World War II is drawing to a conclusion, and millions of refugees are fleeing for freedom, many of them harboring secrets…

Among them are Joanna, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths meet on the route to the “Wilhelm Gustlov,” a ship that promises redemption. The three teenagers, bound together by circumstance, draw strength and bravery from one another. Their faith and confidence are put to the test with each consecutive step on the path to safety. And just when they believe they are on their way to freedom, an awful catastrophe happens.

The overcrowded ship, which was designed to carry 1,800 passengers but was carrying over 10,000, starts to sink, and everyone on board—adults and children, wealthy and poor—must fight for their lives. This heartbreaking book, which is told from several viewpoints, was motivated by a genuine catastrophe.

I first learned about Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys after Goodreads announced it as the winner of the 2016 YA category. I was truly more than shocked that a book with such heavy subject matter could be considered a young adult.

I usually read World War II-related novels with a knot in my throat, especially if they are factual, so I frequently avoid them until the day comes when I tell myself: Okay, now is truly the time to read it. The same thing happened with this book; it remained on my shelf for a while before I finally decided I couldn’t put it off “any longer.”

I’ll start by saying that I adore history novels that cover actual events, especially if the author did a thorough job of research. In addition to learning from them, I always end up researching more online about particular events.

The author discloses to us those victims of the horrific conflict that extremely few people are aware of and demonstrates that compassion and humanity can triumph even in the most hopeless situations.

Only passing mentions of the Holocaust may be found in a few places throughout the book. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is about surviving and the few people who persevere with some sort of morality.

The extermination of Jews, Gypsies, or other “inferior” people is not the subject of this book. It focuses on the brutality and destruction brought about by the struggle for survival. One of several that only shows a little portion of one of the most tragic periods in contemporary history.

We were allowed to witness the events of the war from a variety of views thanks to the many people that were included in the tale, which I found to be beneficial. In terms of the personalities, I found virtually all of them to be endearing, and those I didn’t were at the very least passable.

We receive not just a whole tale, but also distinct viewpoints on the war-torn nation they are escaping together, thanks to the divided perspectives. The reader stitches the tale together as the characters discover more about themselves and become more fearful of their circumstances. By hesitantly finding their humanity, they get empathy for the horrible stories that emerge.

As I grew to know each of the characters Sepetys depicts, I became invested in their survival. Of course, I knew there would be disappointment in a circumstance when the majority of people perished! However, the author handled the conclusion in such a realistic manner that I continue to get flashbacks of the infants and young children.

We get a glimpse of the horrors of the past, a witness that haunts the war-torn survivors as they strive to hope for a better future. However, the delicacy with which these sensitive issues are handled belies the text’s grim character, and beauty may be discovered in the enticing and lyrical writing.

The way Ruta told the tale through her writing was fantastic. Every word in this book, in my opinion, has a purpose. I simply thought she was great when she used these sorts of lines from the many points of view to connect them.

I enjoyed the way the book was put together. The chapters were brief. I kept thinking “Just one more chapter, just one more chapter,” until I realized I had finished the entire book and it was getting close to dawn.

One of my complaints, which is based on my subjective interpretation of the book’s subject matter, is that I had anticipated the tragedy itself to be the book’s main point of interest. In actuality, the protagonists’ journey to the ship itself is where most of the action takes place. In contrast to the previous plodding pace, the actual sinking of the ship seemed to happen very quickly to me.

Historical fiction readers should definitely read Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys since it is such a beautifully descriptive and moving tale of such a tragic time in human history. Between these pages, Sepetys brought history to life with the worst type of suffering—that inflicted on by other people—along with anguish and heartbreak.