Meredith Sheridan
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
AHHH! Salt to the Sea was so good and I'm looking forward to reading Between Shades of Gray! Which character in Salt to the Sea was the hardest research/write? Love your book(s) and I hopefully you can come to Washington soon! :)
Ruta Sepetys
Hi Meredith!
In Salt to the Sea, my favorite character to write was the shoe poet :) The hardest was probably Alfred. In order to create the character of Alfred, I studied Adolf Hitler as a youth. Hitler wrote lengthy letters to a girl but never mailed them, he had a difficult relationship with his father. Hitler also had a fascination with hands so I included that via a manifestation on Alfred's hands.
For me, Alfred was also a study of visibility. He was rejected and invisible for much of his youth, but when Alfred put on a uniform he suddenly became/felt visible (even if only in his own mind) and that visibility then mutated into a sense of power. Alfred felt that he was superior and entitled to possess beautiful, innocent things - like the butterflies pinned to his closet wall - and Hannelore.
Thanks for your question!
In Salt to the Sea, my favorite character to write was the shoe poet :) The hardest was probably Alfred. In order to create the character of Alfred, I studied Adolf Hitler as a youth. Hitler wrote lengthy letters to a girl but never mailed them, he had a difficult relationship with his father. Hitler also had a fascination with hands so I included that via a manifestation on Alfred's hands.
For me, Alfred was also a study of visibility. He was rejected and invisible for much of his youth, but when Alfred put on a uniform he suddenly became/felt visible (even if only in his own mind) and that visibility then mutated into a sense of power. Alfred felt that he was superior and entitled to possess beautiful, innocent things - like the butterflies pinned to his closet wall - and Hannelore.
Thanks for your question!
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Amy Heo
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Ruta Sepetys:
Hello my name is Amy and I'm so glad to know this event is ongoing because I love your work! Since "Between Shades of Gray" is literally my best, favourite fiction-I want to ask if do you know any book/books are similar to that majestic book. Also, I love your writng style so much! Do you have any recommendation from your books too?? Thanks :D :D
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Ruta Sepetys:
Why do you think the tragedy of the Wilhelm Gustloff is so relatively unknown? Certainly, other ocean liners that sunk during wartime have received a great deal of recognition (ex: RMS Lusitania), so why is this story only known to a relatively small group of people interested in World War II?
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