a New York Times Bestseller, is the debut novel of American novelist Ruta Sepetys. It follows the Stalinist repressions of the mid-20th century and follows the life of Lina as she is deported from her native Lithuania with her mother and younger brother and the journey they take to a labor-camp in Siberia. It was nominated for the 2012 CILIP Carnegie Medal[1] and has been translated into more than 27 languages.[2]
Between Shades of Gray was originally intended as a young adult novel, but there have been several adult publications. In an interview with ThirstforFiction, Ruta Sepetys said that the reason she intended Between Shades of Gray to be a young adult novel was because she met many survivors in Lithuania who were themselves teenagers during the deportations, and had a greater will to live than many of their adult counterparts at the time.[3]
Contents <span> [hide] </span><span><span>1Inspiration and basis</span><span>2Characters</span><span>3Reception</span><span>4Film adaptation</span><span><span>5Recognition</span><span><span>5.1National awards</span><span>5.2International awards</span><span>5.3State awards</span></span></span><span>6Translations</span><span>7External links</span><span>8References</span></span>
<span>Inspiration and basis<span>[edit]</span></span>
Between Shades of Gray is partly based upon the stories she heard from survivors of the Genocide of Baltic people during a visit to her relatives in Lithuania.[4]
Sepetys decided she needed to write a fiction novel rather than a non-fiction volume as a way of making it easier for survivors to talk to her. She interviewed dozens of people during her stay.[5]
Lina Vilkas is introduced as a young artist living comfortably in her home in Kaunas, Lithuania, living with her loving family. But, on June 14, 1941, Soviet officers (the NKVD) barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her younger brother, Jonas, slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions. She befriends many people and works hard alongside her mother and brother for food and survival. Upon arriving at the camp, Lina and her family are forced to live with Ulyushka, a cruel, seemingly heartless woman who initially dislikes the Vilkas' and constantly takes their food and other goods from them as a
