Between Shades of Gray - Review

Hello to all you wonderful people reading my blog! Today - known as 'Blue Monday' in the UK (apparently the saddest day of the year?), I am bringing you a review of my most recently finished book. In fact, I finished it last night, and gave myself the night to sleep on it and let my feelings toward the book settle.

This cover matches the one I already own, however, there are other covers available.Image found here

The Book Title: Between Shades of Gray

The Author: Ruta Sepetys

Year of Publication: 2011

Rating: 5/5 stars

THE REVIEW

This book is unbelievable. I know I don't seem to say this alot about a book so this must therefore be the best thing since sliced bread, but it isn't. It is harrowing, graphic in parts, and upsetting in most parts. Yet it is intriguing and interesting and you cant help but read it. And that is why I love it as much as I do.

I got this book from another Blogger/BookTuber who was doing an unhaul, and therefore got it at a bargain price. I've always been interested in war reads, both fiction and non, so to get this at such a good price just made it more desirable.

This book follows the story of Lina, her brother Jonas, and her mother Elena. In the initial pages, this story also features her father, but unfortunately they get separated. The story is set in 1941, in the midst of the Second World War. However, this isn't a stereotypical war novel, as it doesn't focus on the Jewish trauma. Instead, it focuses on a Lithuanian family and their fight for survival when they are taken by Soviet guards in the night. Initially they are taken to farming grounds, where they are put to labouring work, including hopping wood for fire, farming beets, and in the first instance of work, Lina, her mother and one or two others end up digging their fellow prisoners graves.

After a lengthly period of time (I am not too sure how long this book spans over, as there are a number of lengths of time mentioned, the longest being twelve years), the family and a number of others are listed as to be moved. However, the closest friends the trio have made in the camp have not been included on that list, including Andrius, a boy Lina had befriended on the very first train journey after being taken. The family are moved to the Arctic, where they are forced to build brick houses for the NKVD, while in their spare time they have to build their own protection from the winter storms in whatever form possible.

I really do not want to spoil this book for anyone who hasn't read it, however, I am now going to speak about the book and include spoilers. Please scroll down to the end of this post for my thoughts on the book (as spoiler free as possible) if you wish to avoid somewhat key spoilers.

***SPOILERS BEGIN HERE***

This book had me tugging at my heartstrings from the very moment the family got taken by the Soviets. I found myself hoping and wishing that Lina and Andrius stuck up a proper friendship, if not more, and as I found my frustration growing at the pair through the book, I was relieved for them when I got to the end.

I did feel for Andrius and his mother, although I imagine there would have been ways he could have made it less obvious that he had his own bunk with his mother, such as dirtying himself up a bit when visiting Lina and her family, rather than constantly being clean shaven and well dressed etc. However, I did feel for his mother, who towards the end of Linas time in the first farm, featured less and less. I could never imagine having to agree to sell my body (for free) in order to spare my childs life. I did feel, however, that he author portrayed this area of the story well, especially the way Andrius copes with this on top of the loss of his father. 

The scenes in the cattle carts, with Ona and her newborn child, were horrific, yet felt as though they were necessary, in order for us to be reminded every now and again that the newborn, born on the cattle truck itself after Ona had been snatched from the hospital, was truly innocent in every aspect of the word, and did not deserve to be born on that cattle truck, nor did it deserve to die after only days, with her mother following days later herself for being unable to cope with the grief.

***SPOILERS END HERE***

I believe that the author has done a very good job in every sense when writing this. The novel is written with the use and influence of first-hand family accounts and memories from the survivors of Stalins reign of terror. I believe that the author has done a fantastic job of portraying these tales, and for this reason, I am highly recommending it to anyone who will listen. 

I do feel that if you have never picked up a war novel before, that this is not something you should go into believing that it is all hunky dory and things will turn out okay in the end. Although this is the case for many, the aim of war novels is not to paint a pretty picture of these experiences, but it is to make it so that the readers understand the sacrifices made by so few (or many in the grand scheme of things) for the sake of the freedom of so many.

If you do choose to read this book, please go into it and put all war novel information you know to one side, as it does no book any favours to constantly compare it to another. This book is a divine book in its own right, and I believe Ruta Sepetys has done an amazing job of portraying the harrowing scenes, not just of the buildings or the goings on, but of the characters as well. 


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