Literature Review

LITERATURE ‘Salt to the Sea’ by Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys is a Lithuanian-American novelist who specializes in historical fiction. She has written five novels and one graphic novel, but I believe Salt to the

Sea is her greatest work. Published in 2016, three years after her debut novel Between Shades of Gray, Salt to the Sea is Sepetys’ second novel, and is set in the final days of World War 2 as the Red Army closes in on East Prussia. It follows the story of three teenage refugees and an aspiring Third Reich soldier as Russia's army arrives to 'free' them. They travel to the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship headed for West Germany charged with the evacuation of German citizens from East Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Estonia. The plot follows the four characters' convergence as they scramble towards the port city of Goten Hafen (now Gdynia, Poland). Each chapter of the novel is from the point of view of one of the four characters, creating a detailed and highly character-based story. Through the different characters' points of view, we, as the reader, can understand them better as individuals by seeing the world through their eyes. Sepetys uses fast, almost 'heist -like' pacing, using both images from the physical battlefield as well as the battlefield of lies, deception, and treachery.

A rare example of the optimal balance of fact and fiction

Despite the changes in points of view, Sepetys’ writing never feels choppy or abrupt like so many multiple view novels often do. She is able to beautifully and seamlessly intertwine four accounts and build upon character profiles without ‘information bombing’ the reader. Each character has a unique story which is slowly unravelled as they open up to each other and therefore the reader as well. This gives the novel an intimate feeling as though we are breaking down the characters' walls in real-time as they become closer to each other. Sepetys uses beautiful imagery, enticing language, and unexpected literary devices that are perfect for anyone with a love for flowery vocabulary. However, if you are not a fan of indepth description, and would prefer dialogue over imagery, I would suggest wariness when approaching Sepetys’ work. The novel was clearly painstakingly researched as almost every detail, down to the paper type of the Gustloff's boarding passes, is historically accurate. I have found that historical fiction can either seem too eager to show off historical accuracy, to the point where one feels like they are reading an essay rather than a novel or can skim over the historical aspect of historical fiction all together, to such an extent that one feels cheated out of what they were promised. Salt to the Sea is a rare example of the optimal balance of fact and fiction. The emotions the characters feel are timeless and allow readers from every age to relate, but the events are completely factual. The four stories Sepetys illustrates are all fundamentally different from each other but share the common thread of the struggles during wartime. Through them Sepetys illustrates how the most unlikely relationships can be forged in crisis to create lifelong bonds. A particular aspect I praise in Sepetys' writing are her secondary characters. None are one dimensional or feel unfinished, and each of them furthers the story whilst feeling like an actual person, which is worthy of commendation. Sepetys creates dynamic but plausible plot twists that will leave you hurtling through reality with one of the most poignant endings I have ever read. I would recommend this book to a lover of historical fiction or WW2 history in general. But the novel would be even more touching for those without prior knowledge of the evacuation or the events that followed. Sepetys has made it clear that her work is to immortalise the lives of those caught in between, the unknown sacrifices made in the name of peace. The ideas in Salt to the Sea are nuanced and highlight the grey areas of warfare and the people that fall between the cracks of history neither on the 'right' or 'wrong' side. Now more than ever this is a message worth exploring. Overall, I give Salt to the Sea a 4/5 and highly recommend it for your summer "mustread" list.