Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion
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Between Shades of Gray
Between Shades of Gray
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Flashbacks
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The flashbacks to Lina's past was essential, that she didn't always live this way, that she had a past with friends, schools and relations.
I think the flashbacks are crucial to keeping the story from becoming too depressing. They acted to me as little spots of sunshine in the despair of Lina's life. They also put the horror of her situation into sharp contrast with the normal problems of adolescence. How devasting is it to find out a boy you like is dating someone else, especially when now you are living is such dire circumstances.
Mod
Theo wrote: "I think the flashbacks are crucial to keeping the story from becoming too depressing. They acted to me as little spots of sunshine in the despair of Lina's life...."I agree with you completely. I think the book would have been too grim to bear without the flashbacks. They were timed perfectly, too. They seemed to come at just the right moment.
I also liked the way they tied in to whatever was happening to Lina at the time. That seemed very realistic to me - little things amidst the horror of what life has become bring to mind other days when life was better.
I found them irritating and clumsy. Their only narrative purpose is to establish a contrast between the present and the past and I felt it could have been done more subtly or not at all - it was obvious that they were from a comfortable educated middle class family before the purges. I did like the reference to Munch though - if you are in the UK there is a Edvard Munch exhibition at the Tate modern at the moment.
Mod
How does the author use the embedded flashbacks to help readers understand why Lina’s family has been rounded up for punishment? Do you agree with the family’s choices? Why or why not?