My favorite book so far, this year, is called “Salt to The Sea” by Ruta Sepetys. It is a historical fiction based on the true story of a shipwreck event during the late World War II. The ship, named as the “Wilhelm Gustloff”, was used to evacuate German wounded soldiers, citizens, and civilians of other European ethnicities from the area that was about to be taken over by the Allied forces in the war. In the novel, the main characters are also among these passengers.
The novel was really engaging and interesting because it allows the reader to look through the perspectives of the different characters, including Alfred, Emilia, Joana and Florian. Each character come from a different background and have a distinctive personality and a unique story to share–but their storylines all eventually intersects.
To begin with, Alfred is a young German soldier who thinks very highly of himself and is deeply influenced by the German war propaganda. He trusts that his talents will one day be seen and valued by the military officers of higher ranks. However, it is revealed, through his actions and thoughts, that he is simply a selfish and delusional boy who cannot prove his worth. His parts mostly take the form of letters he writes to a girl he had fell in love with, called Hannelore.
Emilia is a 15-yer-old Polish girl who seeks for protection and tries to hid from the inspections of the Russian and German soldiers during the war. She was unfortunately raped by Russian soldiers, which made her struggle with shame, but she still managed to stay strong, physically and emotionally.
Joana and Florian are my favorite characters in the book. Joana is a beautiful Lithuanian nurse who is smart and courageous. She values her friends and family, and is willing to reach out to help each individual in the group. Florian is a handsome and independent young Prussian who presents many acts of bravery in the novel, saving the lives of many. The two characters soon developed a romantic relationship after their storyline intersected during their journey to the port for evacuation.
Through their stories, we are able to see how the war greatly influenced the lives of different groups of people and how they advance towards their own salvation, despite of the many challenges to survive.