I heard about Ruta Sepetys through bookstagram recently. I looked her up on Goodreads and requested ‘Between the shades of gray’ from the library; and I am very happy that I decided to get this book.
Between the shades of gray starts with a sudden deportation of Lina and her family from their home in Lithuania in 1941. It tells a story of the systematic deportations of the citizens of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia conducted by Soviet Union at the height of World War II to annex these regions. The story moves on through the stages of initial outrage at their deportation, then hope that they will be sent back home soon, then denial and eventual acceptance of their fate. It follows the story of Lina – a 15 year old girl, her younger brother and their mother through their year and half journey from Kaunas, Lithuania to Trofimovsk, North Pole; and their experiences as they are held slaves and forced to work on beet farms and in sub-human conditions.
In my opinion, Lina’s mother Elena is the real hero in this book. Her character is kind but brave and strong. I always think that in extreme conditions some people prove their humanity by showing strength of character and some people fall apart and let go of their humanity by becoming petty and mean. Elena’s character belongs to the first group; she is shown as human by obviously always thinking of her children first, but never by being petty and mean. The other characters in the story are well-thought out, though some I think are a bit formulaic, but I think this little flaw can be allowed in a story so well-written.
Everyone knows about the horrors of the Holocaust, but how many of us really know about the horrors inflicted by Stalin or Mussolini on their citizens. I certainly didn’t know about these deportations of the citizens of Baltic states during the WWII and I am glad to know this part of history.
I look forward to reading more of Ruta Sepetys in the near future!
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