Review: "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

This is a heartrending novel about the imprisonment of the Lithuanian people starting in 1941 during World War II and extending as long as 15 years. Although the people in the novel are fictional, the examples of cruelty and what they endured are factual. Because of politics, their story is just recently coming to light. This story is told by a young fifteen year old girl named Lina. She is living the life of a typical fifteen year old when her mother, brother and she are ripped from their home and sent to a farm to raise crops. Her father is sent to prison and they have no way to communicate.

The author tells this story in the voice of Lina which makes it all the more poignant. You become part of the story, feeling the biting cold as it whips through her cabin and the terror as she steals wood, knowing to get caught will mean death. This style puts you into the story instead of an outsider reading about it and is what makes her account both moving and agonizing.

I strongly encourage everyone to read this book. It covers a segment of history that is little known but should be heard. Both teenage and mature readers will want to explore this novel. Although this story is distressing because it brings to light how inhumane people can be to each other, I could not put it down. Although painful, it also shows that the spirit of human kindness can and does endure.