Angela M is taking a break.'s Reviews > Between Shades of Gray

I was so taken by the story of Lina and her family and all of the others that came to life here as they were deported from their homes in Lithuania, by Stalin's Russians to a work camp in Siberia. It's a devastatingly sad story of fictional characters but what makes it even more heartbreaking is that this story reflects a true story of a genocide that took the lives of over 20 million people . I am especially saddened by the fact that I knew pretty much nothing about it and I am grateful to the author for telling it. It's so hard to imagine that this is a piece of history that is so little known and I can't help but think - how can that be?

This is a remarkable story for so many reasons . It's categorized as YA and it is simply and well written in short chapters but by no means does it lighten the load of what happened here . I would say that this should not be missed by any adult who thinks this will be a light depiction of the horrific events . I fell in love with these characters - Lina , and her mother, and her brother Jonas and we see so much of their father through Lina's flashbacks and of course wonderful Andrius. I was struck by the real dichotomy between what was happening to them and the happy, beautiful life they had before which is depicted in Lina's flashbacks - the comfort , joy and beauty vs the vile conditions, sadness , ugliness and death . What remains constant is Lina's passion for her art , a sign of her hope.

I am grateful to Ruta Sepetys for giving me this story and enlightening me to the horrors that occurred because in doing so she has also given a glimpse at the strength of a people that allowed for hope and the ability to see "A tiny sliver of gold...between shades of gray on the horizon."

I am also grateful to my GR friend Tracey who waited patiently to discuss the book as I was behind in starting on our planned date