Book Review & Giveaway: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Product details:
Publisher: Puffin.
Release date: April 7th 2011.
Paperback, 352 pages.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

 One night fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother and young brother are hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away. They are being deported to Siberia. 

An unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun. Lina doesn't know if she'll ever see her father or her friends again.

Set in 1941, Between Shades of Gray is an extraordinary and haunting story based on first-hand family accounts and memories from survivors.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is a powerful and heartbreaking book, and one that details a defining, but often overlooked period of history. If you have studied history, or if you have a personal interest in the history of this time, then you’ll know that books on World War II and all its atrocities usually focus on Hitler and his Nazi regime. But, what of Joseph Stalin, the Russian despot who was responsible for the deaths of twenty million of his own people? The revolting actions of perhaps the bloodiest dictator of them all are a dark historical secret. In this book, Ruta Sepetys has brought this story to life, and in doing so has finally given a voice to all the people who suffered in silence under Stalin’s tyrannical regime. Once I started reading this book, I didn’t put it down until I was done. This is a must-read book for everyone, young or old. It’s not just a book about history, or just a book about war. It’s a book about the enduring power of love, and the will to survive against all odds.

Between Shades of Gray is narrated by Lina a Fifteen year old Lithuanian girl, who is taken from her home along with her mother and younger brother by the Russian secret police (NKVD). From there they are labeled thieves and prostitutes, and transported in the most horrendous of conditions, to the most desolate of regions, where their plight is hidden away from the world. To think that this really happened to so many people is upsetting. To think that it happened because of the whim of one man who took pleasure in seeing his own people suffer is horrific. As much as I love to study history, and as much as this time period in particular interests me, it also horrifies me. This is a harrowing tale. You will read things here that will upset you, and the book will stay with you for a long time.

Lina’s voice is very honest and real. She is a wonderful narrator, an intelligent, artistic girl who’s will to survive is truly uplifting. Through the use of flashbacks, we get glimpses into what Lina’s life was like before she was deported, and we get a sense of all she has lost. This tale is a tense one with savage brutality lurking around every corner at the hands of the NKVD, but throughout their plight Lina and her brother Jonas along with their mother maintain a sense of pride and never give up hope. I thought that Lina’s mother, Elena, was a wonderfully written character. Through her Sepetys truly portrays what a mother will sacrifice for her children. What these characters go through is heartbreakingly sad, and it should be noted that although the story of Lina and her family is a work of fiction, Sepetys met with survivors of this genocide in researching this book, and has incorporated their stories into Between Shades of Gray.

Sepetys prose is simple and sparse and marvelously suited to this story that although harrowing, is also somehow beautiful. The real message of this story is of love, of family bonds and of the power to survive against all odds. Lina’s spirits are kept alive through the hope she maintains of reuniting with her imprisoned father and of her burgeoning relationship with a boy called Andrius, the inclusion of which adds a ltouch of lightness to events, and may even make you smile through your tears.

A gripping and compelling read, this is an important book. It’s also one of the best books I’ve read in a while, and I will be recommending it to everyone I know. Read this book, and then pass it around to your friends and family. Find out more about this period of history. This is a story that deserves to be told, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

------------------------------

I recommend you watch this video where Ruta Sepetys talks about Between Shades of Gray:











Thanks to Puffin books I have three copies of Between Shades of Gray up for grabs.

To be in with a chance to win, just fill in the form below!
Please note: The competition is open to UK & Ireland addresses only - Publishers request.

You don't need to be a blog follower to enter, but it's always appreciated. :)
Competition ends April 22nd 2011.
Good luck!

COMPETITION CLOSED!  WINNERS ANNOUNCED SOON!