Salt to the Sea

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sepetys, R. (2016). Salt to the sea. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN 9780142423622

2. PLOT SUMMARY

A story of four different characters escaping the invasion of Russian soldiers.  They escape on a boat, Wilhelm Gustloff, where they encounter more conflicts.  

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Told from the perspective of four different protagonists, the reader gets a bigger perspective of what life was like during this time period.  Each of the four beginning chapters begins with a different personification to show what that character is dealing with.  For example, the first chapter on Alfred begins with, “Fear is a hunter.”  This shows that despite what Alfred writes in his letters to his loved one back home, he is a coward, “...crouch[ing] in the supply closet, hoping no one would find [him].” 

The chapters switch back and forth between each of the character’s perspectives

 in order to build character development.  The author uses figurative language to paint the harsh setting of this time period.  Examples such as “The ice is arthritic'' and “The town of Gotenhafen bloated with refugees and military” show how dire their situation is and everyone’s desperation to escape no matter how dangerous the circumstances are. 

Despite the dark and hopeless situation, the reader gets glimpses of hope when many of the characters stay together and help one another.  Joana puts bandages around the blind girl’s eyes in order for her to pass the village registration point.  Florian gives Emilia (who is eight months pregnant) preserves that he found in an old abandoned house.  The shoe poet offers to fix a hurting soldier’s shoe in order for his group to get past the registration checkpoint faster with no questions.  Time and time again, these people from all different backgrounds and countries selflessly come together in a time of need to sacrifice for one another and to survive.  

The research done for this book was extensive and included many different resources.  First hand accounts from survivors helped add many elements including the walking across the ice scene in one of the chapters.  The author met many researchers on the trips she took. She got a first hand look at the places mentioned in the novel and the journeys the refugees took. This helped the author create an authentic setting for the story which is so important to represent this time period. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist, starred review:  "This haunting gem of a novel begs to be remembered, and in turn, it tries to remember the thousands of real people its fictional characters represent. What it asks of us is that their memories, and their stories, not be abandoned to the sea."

The Horn Book: "Sepetys’s...scene-setting is impeccable; the penetrating cold of the journey is palpable, and she excels at conveying the scope of the losses while giving them a human face....[T]his elegiac tale succeeds with impressive research, affecting characters, and keen, often unsettling insights into humans’ counterposed tendencies toward evil and nobility. Readers will be left to discuss which impulse triumphs here." 

Kirkus Reviews: "The inevitability of the ending (including the loss of several characters) doesn't change its poignancy, and the short chapters and slowly revealed back stories for each character guarantee the pages keep turning. Heartbreaking, historical, and a little bit hopeful." 

Publisher’s Weekly starred review: "Sepetys excels in shining light on lost chapters of history, and this visceral novel proves a memorable testament to strength and resilience in the face of war and cruelty." 

School Library Journal, starred review: "Artfully told and sensitively crafted, Sepetys’s exploration of this little-known piece of history will leave readers weeping." 

5. CONNECTIONS

Students can research the Wilhelm Gustloff by visiting:

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/sinking-wilhelm-gustloff

To read about first hand accounts from survivors of the Wilhelm Gustloff, students can read:

Sellwood, A.V.          The Damned Don’t Drown         ISBN 9781557507426

Other novels by Ruta Sepetys:

Fountains of Silence                     ISBN   9780399160318

Between the Shades of Gray        ISBN   9780142420591