Written from the perspective of four young people during WWII this book has very short and readable chapters. Each perspective is quite different from the other and the way the book is written makes you want to keep reading and reading and reading… As soon as I picked up Salt to the Sea I couldn’t put it down, so I continued reading for an hour in the car and at every other moment that I could. This novel was absolutely stunning all the way through… until I got to the final chapter. I had a whole idea planned out in my mind about how it would end but I was very disappointed. I still had so many questions! But I suppose I just have to imagine the answers. I would still recommend this book to any lover of historical fiction and expertly woven stories, but I will warn you about the end so that you are not as shocked as I was.
It’s 1945, right at the end of WWII, but war is still raging across Germany. Four young people are connected as the story goes on, each hiding many, many secrets. As they trek across Germany through the frigid weather and the constant fear of air raids they are forced to work together to survive. Eventually they all make it to the port and board a large ship named the Wilhelm Gustloff. A ship that they thought would be their savior.
Despite the slightly disappointing ending I was still enraptured by the rest of the book. Due to quite a few disturbing topics I would not recommend this book to readers under the age of thirteen. Enjoy another great book by the wonderful author, Ruta Sepetys.