2. Between Shades Of Gray // Ruta Sepetys
A less-known novel, Between Shades Of Gray is a haunting story set in Europe in 1941 about a young Lithuanian girl and her family who are displaced by Soviets under Stalin’s orders. The premise may seemed clichéd, but Sepetys’ writing is gripping and expansive, at times disturbing and graphic. Every character, from the protagonist Lina to the Soviet soldiers and the silent man winding his watch, is created with an intricate depth, and Lina’s never-ending hope of returning home steers the novel through hardship and romance to its poignant ending.