Salt to the Sea

Bibliography:

Sepetys, R. (2017). Salt to the sea. Puffin Books. 

Plot Summary:

Set in 1945 East Prussia, four refugees from four different countries each have a secret while trying to get passage aboard a ship to West Germany. Relationships between the four strangers begin to grow as their passage to freedom continues but of course there are obstacles that get in the way during their journey.

Critical Analysis:

Salt To The Sea creates a historical fiction story that creates wonderful characters with hidden stories. It is told during an event that some may not be familiar with including myself. After reading the story, I ended up looking up more information about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Most of the story takes place trying to get to and on the ship. There is only a little bit of the story that takes place of the event which I wished I learned more about. The journey to the ship though takes you through that experience. You feel connected to the characters as each character tells their story from their point of view. The switching of point of views keeps the story well paced. The more that you read from the story, the more you learn about each character’s past. Their experiences will create emotions throughout the story that will take the reader on twists and turns. 

Review Excerpts:

Winner of the Carnegie Medal

A #1 New York Times Bestseller

Winner of the Golden Kite Award

“Artfully told and sensitively crafted, Sepetys’s exploration of this little-known piece of history will leave readers weeping.” - School Library Journal

“An impeccably researched story of hardship and survival in Eastern Europe…This haunting gem of a novel begs to be remembered, and in turn, it tries to remember the thousands of real people its fictional characters represent.” - Booklist

Connections:

Read other works by Ruta Sepetys: Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy and The Fountains of Silence