“Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.”
This is a spoiler-free review of BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by RUTA SEPETYS, here I am just talking about the plot and pace of the book.
In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina’s father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost.
Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive.
It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?
Between Shades of Gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit.
Writing a book review can be a daunting experience sometimes, especially when you love a book as much as I loved Between Shades of Gray, I love historical fiction genre. for some reason, I find historical fiction poignant and exquisite which teaches you about the history and some unsung stories. You could feel the torment and agony of the protagonist in the pages, of course, there are some sanguine and lively novels within the genre. I tend to incline towards novels that are set in World War or any Wartime period, I find such stories fascinating to read about, you learn not only about the state of mind of the soldiers around that time but also about the affected civilians’ obscure stories. I have heard and read nothing but prodigious rave reviews and praises on Ruta Sepetys’s debut novel, It has all the traits of a historical fiction novel I was searching for at that time, so without thinking twice, I picked-it-up.
I absolutely loved Between Shades Of Gray, this book is one of my all-time favorites and I recommend this to everyone. Let’s talk about the book’s 4 scales, I usually measure a book on (Writing, Pacing, Characters, How much it affected me)
“We’d been trying to touch the sky from the bottom of the ocean.”
The book opens up with two NKVD soldiers rummaging through Lena’s house and commanding her family to pack up their bags and prepare for deportation to an unknown place. The story basically starts from there, how Lena concedes this harsh reality and persists to survive. There wasn’t a single moment in the book that wasn’t compelling, I cried so many times whilst reading the book, I practically lost track. The expedition wasn’t any salubrious in the book, there were many powerful moments in the book that forced me to see the tyrannical truth of war. I was aware of the “Baltic sphere of influence” a deed signed by Hilter and Stalin to control parts of Europe as if the existence of the people living within the perimeters of the treaty didn’t matter to the supreme leaders rather cruel leaders. I am aware of the cruelty and insanity of Hitler and his mob, I have read about the number of people Stalin killed for his selfish motive and hunger for power, but reading such traumatizing incident through fiction can leave a lasting impact on you, it did on me, and trust me I still think about the book all the time.
Those stories of war-victims should be heard and never to be forgotten. I’d like to say thank you to Ruta Sepetys for accentuating this topic, people around the globe should be more educated regarding this event, history shapes us and makes us the human being we are today.
“Krasivaya. It means beautiful, but with strength. Unique.”
Kudos to Ruta, her writing style is lucid and perspicuous, she writes every emotion of her characters directly and the straightness of her writing gives time to readers to connect with the protagonist. She never unnecessary drag the plotline, the story flows eloquently throughout. There’s something magical and winsome about the way Ruta’s writing. I’ve read 2 of her novels and noticed how innocently and elegantly she maneuvers the story. The dialogue exchange between the characters in the book is coherent as well, you can imagine the whole act depicted in the book vividly in your mind, the descriptions are evocative, it was literally like watching a movie. Ruta has a way to describe and write human relationships, she does that well in her books, every relationship in her book doesn’t seem rushed or tacky.
The story is divided into 3 parts basically, 1st part being the journey, 2nd being the stay, 3rd being the finale. If I am being extremely critical I’d say part-2 kind of fell flat for me, some scenes I found a bit dragged on but I genuinely don’t mind a slow read, it worked for me perhaps that’d be a problem for you. A lot happened in Part-3, I cried in all 3 parts so there’s so partiality in sobbing there;). The ending didn’t seem rushed, I like the conclusion Ruta gave to the book.
One of my favorite aspect of this novel is the characters, they felt real whilst reading and modest, maybe because they were based off real people in Ruta’s life. The book is a work of fiction but the characters were REAL, that’s something I love about historical fiction. The events divulged in the novel happened for real so you can’t just shake them off thinking it is a fiction. Hence the sobbing session goes for hours.
Lena – I like how strong the protagonist Lena is, she isn’t afraid to speak her mind, poised, fierce and pertinacious. She is hell-bent on getting herself out of the misery she was put in. She is witty and self-reliant. You cant help but love Lena.
Elina – The maternal act can be defined using Elina’s example, she is one heck of a stalwart, determined and strong-minded woman, she is brilliant and elegant, she knows her way around. I adored Elina and I have so much respect for her.
Jonas – you can see the development of simpatico and credulous Jonas throughout the book, mentally he was tormented like the rest, it took a toll on him. I loved Jonas’ character, how he manages to support his family and he is very amiable. In and all, I really loved all the characters in the book.
Andrius – Let’s just say, I have a crush on him. He is an immensely mature and suave character in the book, Read the book to know more about this awesome character. daah. You cant help but fall for him. All of the characters in the book are so pure and innocent. I wish I could protect them all forever.
There you have it, I am just gonna say, I personally couldn’t have loved this book more than I already do. Everyone should read this book, this book not only educates you about an important event in the history but will deliver a compelling story.
I heard there’s gonna be a movie based on the book, it is called ‘ Ashes In The Snow ‘ and I am excited about it. It is the best time to grab a copy and read through. we can discuss this book down in the comment section 🙂
“You stand for what is right, Lina, without the expectation of gratitude or reward.”
This book deserves 5/5 stars, I told you so that I loved this book. You should definitely put this book high on your TBR pile.
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if you haven’t read the book then when are you planning to read it 🙂
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