That Time I Finally Read Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Yes, I know this has been out for a few years. I bought the hardcover as soon as it was released, and it sat on my bookcase. I even picked it up at one point and read about 30 pages before putting it down. Not because it's awful, not because the writing is bad or I couldn't connect to the characters. I avoided it mostly because I adore Ruta Sepetys' novels, and they stomp on my heart every time. I knew this would be the same. But, I finally sat down and read it this morning before work. I've got a book club next week that is reading it, so I knew my time had come. This is a young adult novel, but it packs a wallop. Ruta's imagery, if written solely for an adult audience, could be taken up a notch in the graphic department, and cross over into just horrible scenes of death and destruction. She writes for a young adult audience, and while for some the scenes of life being treated so cavalierly, so without worth or care,...