Salt to the Sea is a story about the greatest maritime tragedy in history. Though not well known
the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German ship that was sunk in 1945 that was carrying refugees from the
war was sunk, with about 10,500 passengers inside. Ruta Sepetys guides you through this story
between the perspective of 4 characters all from very different backgrounds, but finding
themselves on the same ship.
Salt to the Sea is a beautiful story. Sepetys’ masterful character development makes you feel
connected to them and makes the disasters that strike feel much more devastating. I’d never
heard of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff before reading this book and the fact that Sepetys
shed light on it through this story is amazing. There were times that the characters would get
disconnected and their stories would get convoluted, which made keeping track of perspectives
difficult. But it was only for a few chapters and then things straightened itself out. The ending
was sad but beautiful and really tied up everything the characters had gone through in a
heartbreaking yet somehow happy way. Overall, I loved this book and the journey it took me
on. 5/5 stars.