[spoilers for real life history events that you might not already be familiar with that affect our characters…]
One thing that amazes me about World War II is how many stories remain untold. And that’s terrifying, because as we get further from that time, and lose more survivors, we are less likely to ever hear those stories. Ruta Sepetys’s Salt to the Sea focuses on refugees fleeing East Prussia, as the Red Army advanced. While her characters are fictional, their stories are real.
“Guilt is a hunter.
Fate is a hunter.
Shame is a hunter.
Fear is a hunter.”
Sepetys tells the story of four hopeful refugees, and switches between their voices. Joana Vilkas, a Lithuanian nurse. Florian Beck, an artist and a thief. Emilia, a pregnant Polish girl. And Alfred Frick, a Nazi. All of the characters are young adults — each with their memories of death and destruction, but each with their own perspective. Joana, Floria and Emilia band together to reach their destination, while Alfred eventually crosses their path. These refugees were seeking passage on the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German ship meant to be their salvation. The Wilhelm Gustloff was a real ship, and if the name rings a bell for you, here’s why: it was torpedoed, resulting in largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history. Sepetys gets our characters to the ship, a long painful journey, and even there they remain in danger.
It’s a sad story, beautifully written, and I love that the author gave voice to these young men and women. I read after finishing the novel that it’s often taught in high schools, which is wonderful. We need to keep educating children about these events, or else we will all eventually forget.