Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is a harrowing novel which takes readers of all ages on a heartbreaking ride through anger, fear, and, eventually, happiness. This novel tells the story of four teenagers named Emilia, Joana, Florian, and Alfred. Emilia is a pregnant fifteen year-old Polish girl, Joana is a twenty-one year-old Lithuanian nurse, and Florian is an eighteen year-old Prussian. Alfred is a young Hitler Youth sailor. The four young adults must board the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship which will transport them across the German sea to secure their refuge during World War II. In 1945, no one is safe--Emilia must hide her identity as a Pole, but Florian receives free passage for being Prussian.  The group fights through life-threatening conditions to reach the Wilhelm Gustloff--little do they know that the ship will sink after being bombarded by three torpedoes, creating one of the deadliest disasters in maritime history and killing more than 9,000 people.

There are many things that readers will love about this novel. Although the storyline is far from happy, Sepetys makes the characters feel very real, which only adds to the suspense and anticipation felt throughout the book. Readers will find themselves getting lost in the pages of Salt to the Sea, and may not want to put it down. Additionally, the sheer humanity woven into each character makes the plot seem even more sullen--Emilia is only fifteen. Even Alfred, who remains starkly static in comparison to Florian, Emilia, and Joana, is a very realistic character. The heart wrenching reality of World War II is that each and every one of its victims were human. Sepetys does a fantastic job emphasizing this element of her novel, reminding readers that World War II was real, and that it claimed the lives of kids just like them.

Aside from the characterization, readers will fine that the plot of Salt to the Sea is gloriously well-crafted, weaving the stories of dozens of real-life survivors into a realistic plot. Sepetys reached out to individuals across the globe to find those who survived the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, which adds a distinctly accurate feel to the reading. The stories Sepetys heard were used to transform each character into a believable entity. Readers may find that they read the novel believing that the characters truly lived during World War II, only to find that they are entirely fictional.

Many teenagers will turn the pages experiencing exactly what the characters in the book experience--they will feel every emotion and mourn every death. Salt to the Sea was a very influential book to read, telling the stories of the 9,000 forgotten victims of the Wilhelm Gustloff. The book explores many different viewpoints during World War II. Emilia was a Polish girl, who was considered “undesirable” by Hitler’s followers. Joana, on the other hand, was Lithuanian, and therefore “good enough.” Alfred was a proud follower of Hitler’s reign, whereas Florian was disgusted by the ideals that Hitler proposed. Overall, this book is highly recommended for anyone wondering what the war was like for young adults, or wishing to gain more knowledge about the different perceptions of the war.