The Soviets are f*cked up. I am glad I bought a historical non-fiction about all this part of history as I will continue my journey of learning about Russian and Ukraine. 
The story told here is fictional however many of the experiences that occurred throughout were from actual events that happened to those imprisoned by Stalin. Lina was deported from Lithuania to Russia up into the Arctic Circle along with her mother and younger brother. Lina turned 16 before heading to the AC, while her brother was still around 12. If the imprisoned didn’t die from malnutrition, they were shot by the NKVD (later known as the KGB). Stalin was arguably worse than Hitler and would have done far more damage if left to his own devices. He killed 20 million ppl around the same time that Hitler killed approximately the same amount. That’s 40 million people gone within an approx 10 year timeframe. That would be the entire state of California….

"Sure, we are safe. Safe in the arms of hell." (179)

Between Shades of Gray tells the horrific and grueling story of hidden Lithuanian history during World War II (2). Set in 1941 Lithuania, readers follow the Vilkas family who is startled by an aggressive knocking on their door one evening, followed by an invasion of Soviet guards telling them that they have just twenty (20) minutes to pack their belongings and abandon their home. Told from the perspective of fifteen (15)-year-old Lina, readers follow her, her mother Elena, and her brother Jonas as they are shipped like cattle across countries to serve in labor camps across Siberia.

Ruta Sepetys crafts an emotional, rawfully honest, and historically accurate story that gives readers just a glimpse into the hidden history of the Lithuanian genocide that happened in World War II (2) at the hands of Joseph Stalin. This is the third time I have read this story (once from the graphic novel edition which I highly recommend), however, before reading Between Shades of Gray, I was ignorantly unaware of the atrocities that happened across Easter Europe in the Baltic States. 

There are a few lines from the beginning of the book that are so full of emotion and honesty about what was happening in these countries - the injustice and confusion, the inconceivability and anger:

"A newborn. The child had been alive only minutes but was already considered a criminal by the Soviets." (21)

"Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch." (27)

Being told from the perspective of a fifteen (15)-year-old really helps this story become relatable to the intended young audience (though just as equally impactful to an older audience, as well). Often times history is told from the perspective of adults, giving only one type of narrative and making it a bit more difficult for young readers to fully comprehend what people have lived through. By using a teenager as the main character, Sepetys is able to share this story and event through the eyes of those who make up about 1.2 billion people in our world population. 

I enjoy reading the author's notes and acknowledgments at the end of the book because, to me, it really shows the purpose and power of this book. I commend Sepetys for the research and dedication she puts in each of her hidden history stories and the fact that she takes the time to recognize that the stories are not hers but she is here to share them for those who have not been able to do so themselves. Sepetys takes time to talk with those who have the stories to tell and learns as much as she can about the event while writing. That is what historical fiction is all about.

 

 

This is the book we voted on for March in my long distance book club. Honestly, I have had it on my shelf for years, meaning to read it, so this is awesome. I originally was interested in it because I'd read that it was by an author of Lithuanian descent, writing about the Lithuanian experience under Russian and/or German (depending on timing) control during WW2. This is worth mentioning because I'm Lithuanian (and Polish) and I have never really seen (though, to be fair, I have never really looked for too hard) books by Lithuanian authors. And, of course, I knew that they were one of the countries that essentially disappeared into the Soviet Union, like struck off the map disappeared, but I never thought to look more into it ever. Which I now feel a little bad about - like my family just leaned into the Polish and I never really considered why that might have been. Anyways, it was recommended by one of the other members who also has Lithuanian family, some of whom actually spent time in a Siberian labor camp during WW2 (whereas my ancestors made it out/to America right before things closed for good and leaving became impossible) and they wanted to learn more. First, I appreciate that because it gave me the chance to finally learn more as well. And second, I've been friends with this person since 4th grade and we never knew we had that ancestry in common! So anyways, here's to the start of what is, hopefully, more learning. 

 

This YA historical fiction focuses on 15 year old Lina Vilkas and her family (mother and younger brother Jonas) who are deported from Lithuania by Russian police (NKVD) in the summer of 1941. The novel follows their time in transportation on cattle cars in over months from their homeland to the farthest reaches of Siberia to be used as forced labor in these underpopulated areas of Russia. Lina makes a connection with another deportee her age, Anndrius, and along with his emotional (and material) support, and timely assistance from some unlikely places, Lina and her family struggle to survive the starvation-level rations, illness, freezing weather, mistreatment by NKVD, verbal abuse and degradation by police and locals alike, and overall mental and physical trauma of years of exile and horrific conditions. 

 

I have to start at the end here, though that seems a bit contourintive, because the author's Afterward just...blew me away. I truly had no idea how recently some of the survivors of these Siberian labor camps have managed to be freed and allowed back to their homelands. Like, 1960s recent. And even those that managed to get out earlier were silenced by fear of the NKVD's successor, the KGB, and unable to share, process or otherwise bring attention to the horrific experiences they endured. This is absolutely unbelievable to me, since the whole world knows about the atrocities of the Holocaust, and yet these hauntingly similar situations/conditions continued for decades after that for hundreds of thousands of people from myriad "disappeared" counties without any international response or assistance or outcry or anything! Like, I know this was all during the Cold War drama, but still... I had no idea AT ALL. And I feel like that really isn't ok on a lot of levels - not only the obvious ones, but the more subtle sinister ones, like the fact that survivors and their families never got the chance to process and try to deal with the trauma and what kind of affect that has to have had on them and their children and numerous generations to come. Plus I feel like this is something that should be included AT LEAST in all the Cold War history we are taught in school and it is totally ignored/swept under the proverbial rug. Yeesh... Color me absolutely planning to read more about this now. 

 

Now that I've gotten that outpouring of feels down on paper, let's talk about this book specifically. Overall, it was a really solidly paced and written YA historical fiction. I read it all in a single day (well, listened to it, but it's fairly short so I think it would have been similar if I had sat down to read the physical copy). And it was not like that's all I did during that day. So basically, it was a fast read. I think this is in part due to the fact that the writing style is very simple and straightforward, no frills or lyricism to be found. Not in a bad way. It's fine writing - nothing awkward or stilted. Just plain, with a bent towards realism, which fits, topically, really nicely. It also seemed aimed at a young YA/high MG age, as far as comprehension level, so that's another reason I think it went so fast.   

  

As far as plot and characters and everything else, it was similarly basic. And again, I don't mean that in a bad way. There were a few characters that did get some nice dimension added to them, as far as the way they acted or the decisions they made. Sepetys did a nice job demonstrating for a younger audience how sometimes circumstances put us in a position where the "best" choice is not the one we would prefer to make, but are forced to make. Lina's eyes are opened on this front a few times throughout the novel, as she makes judgements about people and then has to pull back and reevaluate when she sees their realities, which is a great lesson (for any age reader). Lina's relationship with her mother and brother, and memories of her father, are close-knit and strong from the start, so watching them develop and become ever stronger under duress was a key aspect of this novel. You can feel Sepetys' own strength of feeling about family in all of those aspects. There's also a sweet little romance that Lina gets to have, showing the strength humanity has to endure even under the most extreme conditions - it's youthfully pure and a nice foil to the horror that pervades every other part of the novel. Speaking of which, from the very beginning Sepetys does not hold back with her descriptions and portrayals of the torturous, horrific and often deadly conditions these Lithuanian (and Latvian and Estonian and Finnish, etc.) families and characters faced. Considering the writing style she used was one aimed toward, at least in my opinion, younger YA readers, the subject matter definitely pushes boundaries there. Considering Lina and her younger brother's ages when they actually experienced these atrocities, and the importance of people finally learning/knowing about this piece of history, it's (again, in my opinion) fine. I just want to make sure that there is clear content warning about these pieces of the book (death, murder, starvation, sexual harrassment/abuse, myriad mental/emotional/physical abuses against prisoners, slurs of various kinds, etc.) so that any readers, but espeically young ones (and their caregivers), go in prepared. Finally, I did think the inclusion of Lina's art, as a coping mechanism and a method of communication, was a nice touch - really connecting the reader to the character. Also, a great demonstration of how each person who suffered this life had their own hobbies and skills and dreams and individualists and all of that was lost and forgotten in this move to eliminate them. Adding it back into Lina's story gave her back the humanity that was stolen from her. 

 

At the end of the day, I really appreciated this novel and the chance to read it. Stylistically and in execution, it was nothing particularly unique or spectacular. However, it does a thorough and honorable job recognizing a people and a piece of history that has been forced under the rug and pretended to not exist so long that as a world, we've moved on to the point where a clear and vocal global recognition is likely lost. That's so unbelievably sad. So, thank you to Sepetys for giving these lost voices a platform. And as a reader, I thank Sepetys for giving me the reason and push to go look for more information past this novel. It's a worthy accomplishment for an author/book.