It's the year 1941 during World War II when Lina Vilkas' family is torn apart. Without more than a few hours warning, 15-year-old Lina, her 10-year-old brother Jonas and their mother Elena are charged as criminals and arrested in their Lithuanian home by harsh Soviet officers.
Lena’s father has been missing since the previous night, having not returned home from his job as a university professor. The three are forced into a train car with 46 other people, mostly women and children. After spending more than eight weeks in the train car with limited food and water, they arrive only to discover they are being forced into work camps under the bleakest of conditions.
Such is the story of the Vilkas family, and such is the story of millions of families in the years leading up to, during, and after World War II. The repercussions of Joseph Stalin’s wide scale actions are whittled down to the harrowing experiences of one broken family,
Lina’s story is powerful for many reasons. Of course as impossible as it is to stay indifferent to a story about so much suffering, author Ruta Sepetys writes the character Lina as a very factual and informative narrator. This choice gives the reader a chance to interpret their own feelings as they read. My favorite part about the story was Lina’s incredible artistic ability and how she attempted to use it as a calling card for their lost father, who would recognize her drawings anywhere. Despite the pervasive environment of terror, Lina finds herself drawn back to the way life was before the Soviet intrusion, and it helps her and the reader maintain hope.
I 100% recommend this heartbreaking book to everyone; it’s important to shine a light on lesser-known pockets of history. I encourage one and all to take the opportunity to hear the author speak at Rome's One Book Many Voices event on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at Rome City Auditorium. Come visit the McCallie-Kennedy Library for tickets to the event.
