Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Pages: 338

Intended Audience: Mature teens

Genre: Historical

Notes for Parents: Contains some very mature content about the mistreatment of human beings during World War II. Reader discretion is advised.

The Back Cover

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Her father is sentence to death in a prison camp.

Lina must fight for her life, fearless, vowing that is she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. Only incredible strength, love, and hope can pull Lina and her family though each day.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

From the author’s notes: In 1939, the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Shortly thereafter, the Kremlin drafted lists of people considered anti-Soviet who would be murdered, sent to prison, or deported into slavery in Siberia. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, military servicemen, writers, business owners, musicians, artists, and even librarians were all considered anti-Soviet and were added to the growing list slated for wholesale extermination. The first deportations too place on June 14, 1941.

What’s good?
This is a well-paced and emotionally tense story that centers around a teen who is caught up in one of the inhumane events of World War II. The circumstances are dire, details disturbing, and the breadth of the horror is heartbreaking. Fifteen-year-old Lina is a relatable narrator – her fear, impatience, desperation, and shock, are palpable. Lina’s mother is a strong, remarkable character that embodies love and sacrifice. The supporting characters give meaning to the title “shades of grey” as we see good people do bad and bad people do good. Nothing is ever black and white.

Best Part: When the men sing the national anthem (pg. 61).

What isn’t good?

·        The flashbacks are distracting. While some of the vignettes about life before the deportation were helpful, some were unnecessarily sentimental and took away from the depth of the present tense. I was also very annoyed with Lina for not using people’s names even when she knew them – “man who wound his watch,” “bald man,” “repeater.” It made Lina seem distant and naïve.

Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺☻ (4/5)

Between Shades of Gray reveals a little-known tragedy that affected entire nationalities. This story provides a small glimpse into what that experience might have looked like for one teenage girl. Many parts are disturbing, some are heartbreaking, and a few moments are downright shocking. However, the author’s writing and narrative style makes this hidden history accessible to teen audiences. It’s well-written and very interesting. Recommended.

Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. New York: Scholastic, 2011.