I felt I really connected with Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. It had the points of view of four different people: Joana, Florian, Emilia and Alfred. The book follows their journey to the Wilhelm Gustloff of four very different people from Lithuania, Poland, Prussia and Germany. It really shows the horrors of Nazi Germany and World War II but also how normal German civilians viewed the war and how many of them were killed by the Allies, as many innocent citizens from other countries were killed by some Germans. I think it is a very important book to read, and that the history should be remembered.
Joanna's point of view captured me immediately and hers was my favorite throughout the book. She was a very good person, and I admired that and how she helped Emilia. I understand that her cousin is the main character in another of the authors books, Between Shades of Gray, which I now want to read. I loved how she ended up with Florian because she deserved to be happy, and I could definitely see her raising Klaus and Emilia's baby.
I have to admit I didn't care for Alfred's point of view, but I think that might just have been because I did not like his character at all, although I think it was necessary to show that some people just were like that - not everyone is nice or kind. I found his mindset quite disturbing and his obsession with Hannelore and thinking he had done nothing wrong.
I enjoyed Florian's point of view because his secrets interested me and pulled me in from the start. I could tell immediately from the start he liked Joana and I loved how he looked out for Emilia. The mysteries of the Amber Room were fascinating and made me a lot more interested in the history.
The ending confused me slightly and I had to read it twice before I understood it, but I was very sad when I did. I think the bittersweet ending was very realistic, and I liked that about the book. I was very upset that Emilia died because she had been through so much and I was hoping she'd survive. However, her little dream of her daughter and mother was so sweet so maybe she finally found peace with her loved ones.
Overall, I loved this book. I flew through it in a day because I couldn't put it down. If you are looking to read a historical fiction book, I would definitely recommend it, but it is very truthful about World War II and so it is very sad to read. This book really made me think about how lucky I am and I feel so sorry for everyone affected by the war and the horrors they faced. It reminded me of books like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and a private Peaceful. I gave this book 5/5 stars!