This book emotionally destroyed me. In a good way.
Recommended to me by friend, “Between Shades of Gray” is its original name, it is also known as "Ashes in Snow". Written by the amazing Ruta Sepetys, it is a tear-jerking and sorrowful story of a Lithuanian girl named Lina. The world of WWII and the Soviet Union is shown through the mind of a fifteen year old girl. Ripped from her home, Lina, her mother, and her brother are forced to travel with other “criminals'' by the NKVD’s standards to “serve” their deserved time in the areas of Siberia to Bulun and Stolbai in the Arctic. Without Lina’s father, as he was taken away from them, they are barely surviving.
Late one night in the small space they are shoved into as they ride to Siberia, Lina meets Andrius and she finds something unexpected– love. Even happiness. Through a story of anger, hurt, and fear Sepetys shows an insightful take on the 1940s and the possession of the Baltic states. This book is one of my favorites I have ever read. It is a story worth learning and reading for any age. It is written beautifully and tugged at my heartstrings. It is simply a must read.
It is also great for a good cry.
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