Salt to the Sea

by Ruta Sepetys

Never have I felt so transported to a time or place (the end of World War II) than when reading Salt to the Sea. Sepetys ensures that the Wilhelm Gustloff will no longer remain in the shadowy depths of the Baltic Sea. Hauntingly real, I found myself running for my life alongside Emilia, hiding Florian’s secret, alongside Joana’s civilian march in the snow, or with Alfred, as he serves his country. Polish, Prussian, Lithuanian, German. What character do I play in this story? What is my part, as a reader, in this otherwise forgotten history, and most importantly, in remembering innocent lives lost?