N.B. Not to be confused with the controversial adult erotica book Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James.
In her brilliant, yet, haunting Between Shades of Grey Ruta Sepetys tells the many true stories (but cleverly merges them into one, for the purpose of this novel) of the countless innocent Lithuanian families who, in 1941, were unjustly ousted from their homes by Stalin's Soviet Army, the NKVP, and forced to journey in cattle cars and barges over 6,500 miles only to be dispassionately dumped off at a remote Siberian outpost, close to the Arctic Circle.Here they were systematically subjected to a cruel and merciless existence, one in which the mere theft of a beet or a potato, could result in instant execution.
Fifteen-yr-old Lina, her young brother, Jonas, and her mother, Elena, all must find ways to survive, both mentally and physically. Their strength and courage shine through in the various interactions they have with other characters in the story, both guards and prisoners. Lina, a talented artist, documents all she sees and experiences, through her drawings and writings, which are, many years later, discovered by excavation workers.
Themes of family, loyalty, love, perseverance and above all, hope, shine through in this stellar story, which tells truth as it is -some of the cruel events which occur in the story are truly horrible- yet never gratuitously. The author does a wonderful job and achieves that rare balance of creating a memorable, yet challenging read, pitched perfectly for young teens and adults alike, which, for all the right reasons, will resonate and live on in the reader's heart.
Verdict: IrishParents highly recommends this book for study in the classroom at Junior Level.
.