Salt to the Sea

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Alfred remains separate from the other main characters— Emilia, Florian, and Joana—for the first half of the novel, but his storyline intersects with theirs in the town of Gotenhafen, where his ship is stationed, and where they are trying to board a boat and evacuate East Prussia. Sepetys goes on to say, "And I was fascinated by the story, wondering why it is that some parts of history penetrate our collective consciousness, and others remain hidden? Readers will learn a great deal about aspects of WWII that aren't as frequently discussed, such as the Red Army advancing, what happened to ethnic Germans in the Baltic States, and the circumstances surrounding this wartime tragedy. The sinking of the Gusloff is the largest maritime disaster, yet the world still knows nothing of it.

Salt to the Sea Book Review | Common Sense Media Salt to the Sea Book Review | Common Sense Media

By 1945, the German forces were clearly losing, as Allied forces advanced from both the West and the East. The sinking of the Titanic may be the most infamous naval disaster in history, and the torpedoing of the Lusitania the most infamous in wartime. Guilt is an important theme that Sepetys develops throughout the novel, particularly through Joana's character. Alfred Frick: An eager, delusional young German who adheres to Adolf Hitler's propaganda (he quotes Mein Kampf) and thinks highly of himself. Would she believe that Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Armenians, and Hungarians had all coexisted peacefully in Lwów before the war?The author doesn't shy away from the horrors people faced during the war, such as references to the fact the army routinely raped (the word itself isn't used, but it's obvious) women in the countries they were occupying. In an interview with NPR Sepetys also shared that her father's cousin had a ticket to board the Wilhelm Gustoff. Sepetys also intended for the novel to be a vehicle for readers from nations divided by history to unite in study and remembrance. A soldier and inspector who checks the paperwork of Florian, Klaus, and the Poet when they are boarding the Wilhelm Gustloff. After college she spent two decades managing her own company, the Sepetys Entertainment Group, which looked after musicians and composers.

Salt to the Sea: How the Wilhelm Gustloff Was Sunk | Time Salt to the Sea: How the Wilhelm Gustloff Was Sunk | Time

As they begin to cross the water, Allied planes shoot through the ice and Ingrid, who had been the first to cross, falls into the water and drowns. Hitler was pushing out Polish girls like Emilia to make room for “Baltic Germans,” people with German heritage. This is not to say it’s not a beautifully written and important part of the novel but the romance doesn’t define either of the characters or detract attention away from the central tragedy.It is revealed that Emilia is eight months pregnant after an assault by Russian soldiers; Florian, the restoration artist, is on the run for stealing a piece of art from the Amber Room; and Joana feels responsible for some of the deaths of her family. As she goes into labor, Emilia reveals that Halinka is not August’s child, but the result of rape at the hands of Soviet soldiers. As a result, 10,582 people were packed onto a cruise ship that was meant to accommodate only about 1,900. This swift-footed, kind-hearted historical is intensely satisfying in just about all the ways a novel can be satisfying.

Salt to the Sea Quotes and Analysis | GradeSaver Salt to the Sea Quotes and Analysis | GradeSaver

Was it enough to admit the lie to yourself and the heavens, or did you have to tell someone who listened?In Salt to the Sea, this makes the journey more dangerous for the group of refugees, since their evacuation is considered illegal. Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks.