Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

 

“That’s when I saw it. A tiny sliver of gold appeared between shades of grey on the horizon.” The excerpt is from the last chapter of the novel, Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. The book is set in the year 1941. It is about a young girl named Lina Vilkas. Lina, along with her mother and brother, is abducted by the Soviet Union. Through out the story the reader gets a taste of how it was for those taken by the Soviets. It shows the hardships those people went through. It shows how badly the soldiers treated the people. It wasn’t fair for them. Lina’s father was separated from her and the rest of his family. He was taken to a prison because he was thought to be a criminal. In fact, Lina’s father was an upstanding citizen and a very good man. He was taken because the soldiers found out that he helped his brother and family escape to Germany. When Lina heard all of this, she was confused by why her dad would risk his own family’s life to help his brother’s. Since Lina’s father was taken before the rest of her family, she tries to communicate with him through drawings. Every time a person would leave the camp, she would give them a handkerchief or a piece of wood on which she had drawn a picture of the place that they were at the time and she would tell them to pass it along. Her hope was that the drawings would eventually reach her father. Later in the story a soldier informs Lina that her father has been shot by a guard in the prison. 

       Death wasn’t a surprise in this book. Life and death in this time were not easy on Lina and her brother, Jonas. Jonas is only ten and doesn’t understand everything yet. At the end of the story, Lina is told that the person who reported her that her father had been killed may have been lying. The book ends with the excerpt at the beginning of this summary. It ends with a feeling of hope, with a glimmer of light. Although it might not inform the reader with all the outcomes of the tragic events, it hints that there may be some good.

            I loved this book! This book is definitely one of the best books I have ever read. The book was very hard to put down. The main character, Lina, is very bold and courageous which makes the book even more interesting, and the story is not only entertaining but also informative--showing how the people were treated during the war. This book has some mature themes in it so I would recommend it to 13-15 year old girls. I say girls because the main character is a girl and it may be easier for girls to relate to some of the events that happen to the protagonist.  This book was a joy to read and I strongly recommend it!  

Reviewed by Corinne