Salt to the Sea (Sepetys)

Salt to the Sea 
Ruta Sepetys, 2016
Penguin Young Readers
400 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780399160301


Summary
An epic novel that shines a light on one of the war's most devastating—yet unknown—tragedies.

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide.

Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

Told in alternating points of view and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See, Erik Larson's Dead Wake, and Elizabeth Wein's Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff—the greatest maritime disaster in history.

As she did in Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity and love can prevail, even in the darkest of hours (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—November 19, 1967
• Where—Detroit, Michigan, USA
• Education—B.S., Hillsdale College
• Currently—lives in Nashville, Tennessee


Ruta Sepetys (Roota Suh-pettys) is the Lithuanian-American author of three novels: Salt to the Sea (2016), a story of refugees on-board the real-life Wilhelm Gustloff; Out of the Easy (2013), set in New Orleans, Louisiana; and Between Shades of Gray (2011), set during the Soviet takeover of Lithuania.

Sepetys was born in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, who escaped from Stalin's Russia. Her father ended up spending nine years in refugee camps before making his way to the U.S.

Ruta's third novel, Salt to the Sea, has personal relevance to her family. Her father's cousin also fled Latvia and landed in East Prussia. From there, like characters in the novel, she hoped to escape by sea. Scheduled to sail on the Wilhelm Gustloff, fate intervened—she was transferred at the last minute to a different ship, and her life was spared. Decades later later, the cousin and her husband encouraged Ruta to tell the story of the thousands of refugees aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff.

Ruta Sepetys holds a B.S. in International Finance from Hillsdale College. While in school Sepetys also studied at the Centre d'etudes Europeennes in Toulon, France and at the ICN in Nancy, France.

Following graduation Sepetys moved to Los Angeles. In 1994 she launched Sepetys Entertainment Group, Inc., an entertainment management firm representing Grammy-award-winning guitarist Steve Vai, Orange County modern rock band Lit, and Emmy-nominated film composer Niels Bye Nielsen. In 2002 Sepetys was featured in Rolling Stone magazine’s "Women in Rock" special issue as a woman driven to make a difference.

Sepetys is on the Board of Advisors for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University and is also a director of the Make a Noise Foundation, a national non-profit that raises money for music education. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 3/14/2016.)

Book Reviews
The pacing is swift as a thriller…the book's drama comes not simply from the battlefield action—the bombings, the armies on the move—but from the constant wounding fire of lies and revelations, self-deceptions and desperate ententes…It would be near blasphemous to use suffering on this scale as the backdrop to provide the beats of suspense and near escape if it weren't for Sepetys's clear commitment to preserving the memory of the forgotten, the drowned…once again, Ruta Sepetys acts as champion of the interstitial people so often ignored—whole populations lost in the cracks of history.
M.T. Anderson - New York Times Book Review


(Starred review.) [A] knockout historical novel...that offers insight into the ugly realities of WWII and culminates with a forgotten event, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.... Sepetys excels in shining light on lost chapters of history, and this visceral novel proves a memorable testament to strength and resilience in the face of war and cruelty (Ages 12 & up)
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Told alternately from the perspective of each of the main characters, the novel also highlights the struggle and sacrifices that ordinary people—children—were forced to make. At once beautiful and heart-wrenching —Elisabeth Clark, West Florida P.L.
Library Journal


(Starred review.) —[L]yrical prose, eye for detail, and...skillfully paced revelations.... Observations of war and loss, human cruelty, and hatred are unflinching.... [T]his little-known piece of history will leave readers weeping (Gr. 8 & up). —Kiera Parrott
School Library Journal


(Starred review.) 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. What it asks of us is that their memories, and their stories, not be abandoned to the sea.
Booklist


This book includes all the reasons why teens read: for knowledge, for romance, for amazing and irritating characters. This novel will break readers’ hearts and then put them back together a little more whole (Ages 12 to Adult). —Elizabeth Mills
VOYA


Sepetys combines research...with well-crafted fiction to bring to life another little-known story: the sinking (from Soviet torpedoes) of the German ship Wilhelm Gustloff.... The inevitability of the ending...doesn't change its poignancy.... Heartbreaking, historical, and a little bit hopeful (Ages 12-16).
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're made available. In the meantime, use these LitLovers talking points to kick off a discussion for Salt to the Sea...then take off on your own:

1. Ruta Sepetys tells her story through four different characters. How do the four differ from one another and, more importantly, what perspectives do they bring to the story? Why might the author have chosen four points of view as opposed to a single narrative?

2. Follow-up to Question 1: Clearly, the least sympathetic character is Alfred—he borders on cartoonish in his villainy. What is his role in the novel—what does he reveal about Germany's role in the last stages of the war, and how does he help set up events on-board the ship?

3. Talk about how the relationships unfold among Joana, Emilia, and Florian.

4. Describe the conditions on the Wilhelm Gustloff. What was the most difficult hardship for you to read about?

5. Even knowing the outcome of the story (it is a real life historical event), did you find yourself turning the pages quickly? If so, how does Sepetys create suspense even when the outcome is known?

6. How might you describe this story, despite its tragedy, as hopeful?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online of off, with attribution. Thanks.)

top of page (summary)