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A review by nebraskanwriter
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Wow, what an incredibly powerful and important book! I am so grateful Ruta wrote this, it is so important we do not forget what happened to these amazing people.
The book begins immediately with Lina and her brother and her mother getting taken to start working in a camp.
The story is told rather methodically, “I said this, she did this, this happened then that happened” which I did not think I would like. However, I enjoyed the simplicity and that there weren’t a lot of purple prose or anything, nothing to distract you from the direct words you were reading.
This is Ruta’s first published book and it definitley sounds/reads different than her others that I’ve read. But I still enjoyed it, as much as one can enjoy such a heart breaking book.
I am not a crier but I did cry at the end, it moved and touched me so very deeply.
As Ruta is Lithuanian, this felt like an homage to those who endured in silence for so long. I’m so glad light is being shed on the truth of what so many that suffered in silence went through for so many years...
Quotes:
“Have you ever wondered how much a person’s life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.”
The book begins immediately with Lina and her brother and her mother getting taken to start working in a camp.
The story is told rather methodically, “I said this, she did this, this happened then that happened” which I did not think I would like. However, I enjoyed the simplicity and that there weren’t a lot of purple prose or anything, nothing to distract you from the direct words you were reading.
This is Ruta’s first published book and it definitley sounds/reads different than her others that I’ve read. But I still enjoyed it, as much as one can enjoy such a heart breaking book.
I am not a crier but I did cry at the end, it moved and touched me so very deeply.
As Ruta is Lithuanian, this felt like an homage to those who endured in silence for so long. I’m so glad light is being shed on the truth of what so many that suffered in silence went through for so many years...
Quotes:
“Have you ever wondered how much a person’s life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.”
“We’d been trying to touch the sky from the bottom of the ocean. I realized that if we boosted one another, maybe we’d get a little closer.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail