Will I love Between Shades of Gray?

This bestselling novel depicts the little-known Soviet invasion of Lithuania in 1940 and the deportation of more than 100,000 ethnic Lithuanians to Siberia through the eyes of 15-year-old Lina and her family.

The Lithuanian-American author was inspired by her relatives’ experiences. Like Ukraine, Lithuania regained its independence after the end of Communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union, but Russia continues to threaten the small nation.

Of all the fiction I’ve read about World War II, I retain the most images of this story of teenage Lina and her Lithuanian family and their tortuous life in Siberia at the hands of the Russian NKVD.

I feel the cold and grieve their losses. Lina, her mother, and her younger brother are separated from her father, and much revolves around her efforts to learn whether he is still alive. There are distinct and varied characters in their enclave, and they starve together.

Lina has her art and makes a close friend, but it may not be enough to… show more.

This is Ruta Sepety’s debut novel and is so powerful, I can still remember the chills it gave me on my first read. While it came out in 2011 its message today seems ever more poignant. History is the story of individuals. Lina’s story of survival in Lithuania during World War Two, against impossible odds, gives voice to the countless thousands who never had a chance to have their stories told. And hopefully ensures that it never happens again.

Caught up in the events of World War Two, Lina and her mother and brother are arrested one night and forced… show more.

This historical fiction novel is Young Adult, but is a must-read for adult historical fiction lovers as well. Set in the WW2 era, Lina and her family are deported from Lithuania and forced to work in Siberian labor camps under the Soviets. This powerful story depicts a harrowing journey of survival and the ugly truth of the awful conditions some displaced Europeans had to endure during Stalin’s rule. The sense of place in this book is well done, even if the place is not great.