A Goodreads user
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta! I read a review copy of Salt to the Sea and it is now without a doubt one of my favourite books EVER. I am a history student at university, WWII being one of the areas which I find most interesting and devastating to study, and you captured that devastation, and the utter strength of humanity so well! Did you base your main characters on historical accounts that you've read or are they purely fictional? Ari x
Ruta Sepetys
Hello Ari!
I totally agree with you—WWII is such an interesting yet devastating period.
In "Salt to the Sea" I created main characters who represent the different cultural lenses of the war: Lithuania, Germany, Poland and East Prussia. I've discovered that everyone views history through their own cultural lens. Some of the characters' traits were taken from interviews and research and some are fictional. Thanks for asking!
I totally agree with you—WWII is such an interesting yet devastating period.
In "Salt to the Sea" I created main characters who represent the different cultural lenses of the war: Lithuania, Germany, Poland and East Prussia. I've discovered that everyone views history through their own cultural lens. Some of the characters' traits were taken from interviews and research and some are fictional. Thanks for asking!
More Answered Questions
Lucy
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi! In both of your books, you write about some historically brutal circumstances and the people involved really suffered, they had to endure the cruelty of other people's actions and survive. I wanted to ask you if it was ever hard to hear the real life stories people told you during research. How did you deal with it? And how did it affect the way you portrayed the emotions of the characters in your stories? Thanks!
shirley
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hello! I've read both Out of the Easy and Between Shades Of Gray, and they're both such a beautiful, compelling, life-changing stories. I was wondering if/how you plan your novels--do you plan out your plot chapter by chapter, if you explore your characters with drabbles, etc.? Thank you for writing such amazing works!
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