Journey Across the Country

Sylvie Budzinski
Between Shades of Gray
By Ruta Sepetys



Imagine being taken from your house in the middle of the night, with only minutes to pack a bag, not knowing why or for what you were being taken for. That’s what happened to Lina.

Rewind to 1930, when the Soviet Union and NKVD captured innocent Russians and transported them across the country. In Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, Lina, Jonas, and their mother hear a beating against their door in the middle of the night, while the father is away. They are told to gather their things, and are immediately removed from their home, and thrown into a train car filled with people. With absolutely no idea where they were headed or why they had been taken, Lina and her family travel through Russia under direction of the Soviets, who threaten to kill them with every step. Lina briefly connects with her father, and then though the rest of their journey continues to attempt to reach him, with hidden drawings and code that if found, could end her life. Alongside the thousands of others captured by the NKVD, her family strives to stay together and alive. Between Shades of Gray brings the reader through a crazy expedition of heartbreak, happiness, despair, and hope.

I would definitely recommend this book. For one thing, it was so well written that from the first page of the novel, Sepetys drags in the reader into the story so you feel you can’t put the book down. You feel every single emotion through her vivid details and descriptions. The story line has you constantly on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what happens next. One of my favorite elements of the book is the relationship between Lina and Andrius. I loved watching their relationship develop and wondering how each of their interactions would go. Also, another interesting plot element is Lina’s search for her father and her family’s fight to stay together. You almost feel as if you are in the story, instead of just a reader.

I would recommend this book to both teenagers and adults, who love a good story of many emotions. Ruta Sepetys is a talented writer who makes each sentence captivating for readers like these. If you are looking for a new read, or even if you aren’t, Between Shades of Gray is a must- read, and should definitely be on the top of your list.

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