Salt to the Sea

4.75 (rounded up to 5)Ruta Sepetys has become one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her books stand out from others in the genre thanks to the lesser-known/talked about events she chooses to build her plots around. Joana, Florian, and Emelia narrate their journeys learning up to their departure on the fated Wilhelm Gustloff. In contrast to them is Alfred, a Nazi assigned to the ship. While Alfred's section of the book is largely focuses on his career and his ‘promised' future, Joana, Emelia, and Florian's stories focus on their pasts and hopes of escape. Despite the extremely short chapters, I found the story was slow to build. Toward the last third, it picked up immensely. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff is the worst disaster in maritime history with a death toll nearing 10,000. Ruta Sepetys does a wonderful job of capturing the tragedy. Although the book is about fictional characters, the reader still gets a sense of the individuals who suffered through it. Compared to [b:The Fountains of Silence 43220998 The Fountains of Silence Ruta Sepetys https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549121768l/43220998.SY75.jpg 67064269] and [b:I Must Betray You 56970272 I Must Betray You Ruta Sepetys https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630107564l/56970272.SY75.jpg 89112972], it took a significantly longer time for me to get wholly into the plot given how quickly the four POVs jumped around. The lead-in and backstories took up most of the pages. The wait was well worth it even though it's a heartbreaking read.