Dodie Brunton asked Ruta Sepetys:

I thoroughly enjoyed "Between Shades of Gray" so when I heard about "Salt to the Sea" I read it right away. I love historical fiction and you have a wonderful way of enlightening readers about lesser known events during the WWII/Holocaust time period. What I particularly like about "Salt to the Sea" is that the story is told from 4 different points of view. What made you decide to use this vehicle to tell the story?

Ruta Sepetys Hello Dodie!

Thank you so much for your kind words about my novels and writing.

When I was researching "Salt to the Sea," I was reminded of how many regions and countries were affected and suffered during the evacuation. When I interviewed people from those different countries, I realized that every human being views history through their own cultural lens so I created four characters who could give voice to a particular regional experience. I wanted the reader to look through the "lens" of Joana (Lithuania), Florian (Easst Prussia), Emilia (Poland) and Alfred (Germany).

Thank you for asking!!

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