Joanna
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta, I remember you visited my school (International School of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo, Japan) last year and I just want to say what a riveting book it was. I wanted to ask- how were you able to capture the details of life on the train and at the camp? How were you able to get in contact with survivors?
Ruta Sepetys
Hi Joanna!
I loved visiting Sacred Heart in Tokyo and I hope to return soon!
I'm so happy that you enjoyed "Between Shades of Gray." In terms of the details and the survivors - a friend of mine who lives in Lithuania arranged for me to meet and interview many survivors. Those meetings were crucial. I wrote the book, but it's not my story. The story belongs to the people who experienced the terror and they shared personal details related to their journey. I then wrapped fictional characters around those details when building the plot for the novel and life on the train.
Hope that helps and thanks again!
Ruta
I loved visiting Sacred Heart in Tokyo and I hope to return soon!
I'm so happy that you enjoyed "Between Shades of Gray." In terms of the details and the survivors - a friend of mine who lives in Lithuania arranged for me to meet and interview many survivors. Those meetings were crucial. I wrote the book, but it's not my story. The story belongs to the people who experienced the terror and they shared personal details related to their journey. I then wrapped fictional characters around those details when building the plot for the novel and life on the train.
Hope that helps and thanks again!
Ruta
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more