"Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys- Book Review



Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. Philomel Books. 2016.

It is 1945 during World War II and the Soviets are quickly advancing on Prussia. The lives of four young adults intersect in Salt to the Sea as each of them struggle to survive the brutal war. 

We meet one of four narrators, Joana as she travels in a group of fifteen refugees including a lost boy Klaus, a boisterous woman Eva, and a kind shoemaker, Poet. Before the war Joana was a part of a well-off family. She focused on her studies and worked in a hospital where she received some medical training. Now Joana is haunted by the by the guilt she feels for writing a letter to her cousin Lina, that would end in Lina’s family being arrested and deported to Siberia. 

Fourteen-year-old Emilia dreams of the life she had before her mother Halina died giving birth to her brother. Emilia’s father sends her to live with the Kleist family in Nemmersdorf, a village in Germany. Although she misses her father, she finds comfort in August Kleist. However, when Soviet soldiers come to claim a young girl, Emilia is offered. Now pregnant and alone, Emilia deals with her trauma by creating a fantasy in her head where knights are real and August waits for her. 

Emilia finds a knight in Fluorian. A young man who was once tasked with keeping Hitlers prized Amber Room safe. Once Fluorian finds out Hitler was not a collector but a thief, he steals Hitlers prized amber swan as a form of revenge and flees. Begrudgingly, Fluorian travels with Emilia when they stumble across Joana’s group. This misfit group of characters slowly become a family and together they make their way onto the Wilhelm Gustloff.

Once a luxury ship the Wilhelm Gustloff is turned into a safe haven. Here we find our last narrator Alfred, a German soldier who is eager to please only Hitler. Alfred’s loyalty and believes directly align to the Nazi party and he will do anything to make himself stand out, including reporting his beloved Hannelore when he finds out her father is Jewish. Alfred’s need to be recognized leads him to be easily influenced into helping Fluorian hide with in the ship. As our narrators travel in the Wilhelm Gustloff, they assume they are safe. However, the once luxurious ship that held so much promise will soon come to be the death to over nine thousand of its passengers.

There is much a reader gains from reading Salt to the Sea from the story of an unlikely friendship between Joana, Emilia, and Florian to the bigoted thoughts of Alfred and the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, there is truly something for everyone. Although, there is so much digest Sepetys has a way of writing characters that are relatable regardless of the time period. Salt to the Sea would be a wonderful book for high school students to read in a book club or for any student who is interested in beautifully written historical fiction. 


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