Members of the erudite middle class in 1940s Lithuania, Lina and her family lead a comfortable, happy

life. Daughter to a doting, beautiful mother and professor father, older sister to a sweet (if mischievous)
younger brother, fifteen year old Lina has the world and all its promise ahead of her, especially when she
receives the news that she has been accepted into one of the most prestigious art schools in all of
Europe.

But one night in 1941, Lina’s home is invaded by the NKVD – the Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del,
aka the terrifying Soviet police organization responsible for quieting political opposition and anti-
Communist sentiment (through deportation, imprisonment, and execution) under Joseph Stalin’s rule.
Lina’s family has been branded as fascist supporters and political enemies by the Soviets, and are given a
few minutes to pack their most precious belongings before they are whisked away into the night to
disappear from their home forever. Between Shades of Gray is Lina’s story as she, her mother, and her
brother fight to stay together and to survive. Loaded into cattle cars and transported hundreds of miles
to Siberia to serve hard labor in unimaginable conditions, then again to the Arctic Circle, Lina’s story is
one of pain, endurance, and survival.

When I first heard about this book, I was captivated by the actual background of the novel – Ruta
Sepetys is the daughter of Lithuanian emigrees, and Between Shades of Gray was inspired by Sepetys’
father, a refugee who escaped Lithuania as a young boy. With this debut novel, Sepetys endeavors to tell
the story of the Baltic States – Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – that disappeared from maps in 1941
during Stalin’s occupation and cleansing of the region. Needless to say, this novel is a work that is clearly
incredibly important to the author, and should be equally important to readers of all ages, as it gives
voice to the Lithuanian experience in WWII under Stalin’s regime. While many have read about the
atrocities committed against Jews during the Holocaust, fewer books are read – or written – about those
committed by Stalin, especially in Lithuania and the other Baltic states.1 Between Shades of Gray is a
powerful book that skillfully tells this story and accomplishes what Ms. Sepetys set out to do. It tells the
familiar story of heartache, atrocity, and death (i.e. arrested in the middle of the night, cattle cars, labor
camps, disease, starvation, and death), but from the Lithuanian/Soviet perspective (as opposed to the
Jewish/Nazi perspective).

From a writing and character point of view, Between Shades of Gray does a solid job delivering as a work
of historical fiction. Told from Lina’s first person perspective, we watch and experience everything that
unfolds through eyes. To that end, much of the novel hinges on Lina’s development as a character and
the strength of her narration – and both elements, I’m happy to say, are executed beautifully. Lina is a
heroine that is both relatable and strong, and grows from ignorantly headstrong to the one person that
can keep her family together as the months and years unfold. I also love the thread of art that runs
throughout the book, and Lina’s skill as an artist, her love for the works of Munch, and the hope she
imbues in her sketches – to leave clues for her father, yes, but also to tell the story of her family and
other Lithuanians as they are systematically deported and disappear. Other characters, particularly Lina’s
beautiful and educated mother, are given similar depth and heft, and make Between Shades of Gray a
much more rounded, powerful read.

These praises said, the writing level for this novel was not without its flaws. There was some degree of
repetition (especially with certain images and phrases), and from a stylistic standpoint, I’m not sure of
the effectiveness or usefulness of Lina’s italicized “flashbacks” that end each chapter. Some of these are
important to certain plot points, but many more provide no real relevance to the story, Lina, or her past,
resulting in a disjointed reading experience. Also, the novel’s ending is extremely abrupt, in the form of a
jarring epilogue that doesn’t give nearly enough emotional payoff for so grueling a tale. And this, in turn
ties into my final note about the novel:

While Between Shades of Gray is a powerful and important story, Sepetys’ debut novel lacks the skill
with words and raw emotional resonance that would make it truly, hauntingly unforgettable. Lina’s
narrative is simple and direct, emotions layered on one two-dimensional plane without deeper nuance
or gravitas. Sepetys’ novel isn’t the horrific experience of Elie Wiesel’s Night, or the eye-opening terror of
The Rape of Nanking. Nor does it share the storytelling ability of Zusak’s The Book Thief, Wein’s Code
Name Verity, or Yolen’s The Devil’s Arithmetic. This doesn’t mean that Between Shades of Gray is any less
of an important book – just that, as a work of WWII historical fiction, it doesn’t quite transcend good to
great.