Salt to the Sea
Ratings80
Average rating4.2
It's early 1945 and a group of people trek across Germany, bound together by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. Four young people, each haunted by their own dark secret, narrate their unforgettable stories. This novel is based on a true story from the Second World War. When the German ship the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk in port in early 1945 it had over 9000 civilian refugees, including children, on board. Nearly all were drowned
Tags
Content Warnings
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5, I think. Reading WWII-related historical fiction always leaves me at a loss for words. Just thinking about it evokes so many feels, y'know? There are a couple of things that set this book apart: it's about a little-known tragedy and it comprises exceptionally short chapters, switching among the viewpoints of four characters. I'm grateful for the former, to have learned something new; but the latter, I'm not sure.
As a rule, I don't love short stories. I feel like by the time I'm really getting into it, the story's over. While not a collection of short stories, the format of this book made me feel kind of the same way. On one hand, the short chapters made the reading fly; on the other, I felt a kind of unexpected emotional detachment from the characters.
Still a really good story, well worth a read.
Solid 4.5 and perhaps edging ahead of Out of the Easy as my favorite Septys. The variable narrators in the audio did a lovely job conveying the characters, and i was genuinely moved by the stories. I was inspired to do much more research into the sinking, which I barely knew anything about. I'd love to find a great nonfiction pair for this book.
