My Favorite Read of July 2022

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Just when you think this war has taken everything you loved, you meet someone and realize that somehow you still have more to give.

Ruta Sepetys, Salt to the Sea

Goodreads Synopsis

While the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army. The ship was overcrowded with more than 10,500 passengers — the intended capacity was approximately 1,800 — and more than 9,000 people, including 5,000 children, lost their lives.

Sepetys (writer of ‘Between Shades of Gray’) crafts four fictionalized but historically accurate voices to convey the real-life tragedy. Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks. 

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My Thoughts

Every time I think I’ve had enough of reading about WWII, I find a book with a book with a different perspective. I knew nothing about the Wilhelm Gustloff. I love learning about events that should be considered major historical events, but somehow get lost. This is listed as YA, but I would consider it adult. I think that teenagers could read and enjoy it. However only one of the four main characters is in the YA age range. I wouldn’t want an adult to miss out on the book thinking it wasn’t for them.

What I liked about this book:

• It’s an event that hasn’t been written about a lot in historical fiction novels
• The characters are complex, and their secrets aren’t revealed immediately, but they aren’t drawn out so long that it becomes frustrating to the reader.
• I loved the shoemaker character. He is a minor character, but I love the way he adds touches of humor and sentimentality to scenes.