In this book Lina and her family are arrested by the Soviets and removed from their home in Lithuania. Separated from her father, Lina, her mother, and brother Jonas are sent away. Along with other Lithuanians, they are packed in boxcars and begin a long journey by rail. During the trip Lina meets Andrius, and they help each other survive the journey. Other passengers, however, are not so lucky, and many die or are killed en route. The survivors are tired, dirty, and starving when they finally arrive at their destination, the Altai Labor Camp in central Russia. There they are forced to work in horrible conditions for very little food, enduring lice, scurvy, and other illnesses. Andrius continues to help Lina and her family by stealing food for them, passing on information about Lithuania, and taking care of Jonas when he gets scurvy as a result of malnutrition.
After six months at the Altai Labor Camp, Lina must say goodbye to Andrius when she, her family, and other captives are sent away yet again. This time their destination is Trofimovsk, a small military settlement past the Arctic Circle and close to the North Pole. Here the captives are forced to endure even worse conditions than those in Altai as they try to survive both the Arctic tundra and abuse from Soviet soldiers, who force the captives to forage for materials to build their own shelters and to provide heat so they can survive the Arctic winter. Here even more die from dysentery, starvation, and the harsh conditions, including Lina's mother. The only thing that keeps Lina and her brother going is their desire to live.
While the theme of this book is not pleasant, readers will admire Lina's strength and perseverance as she tries to survive at the hands of the Soviets. I think many will also feel the same shock and surprise to discover that such an atrocity occurred as I did. In the United States, when students study World War Two they learn about the Holocaust and are told that the Soviets were US allies. I don't think too many learn that our Soviet allies were simultaneously exterminating people while they were helping us defeat the Nazis. This may be partially due to the fact that not too many people knew about it until fairly recently. As the author explains in her Author's Note, those displaced during World War Two spent anywhere from 10 to 15 years in captivity before being released. Upon their release, however, none spoke of what happened to them. They couldn't, because they were still under Soviet rule and knew that they could end up back in prison in Siberia if they openly discussed their experiences. According to the author, survivors did not begin to discuss this sad moment in Balkan history openly until 1990 after the Soviet Union dissolved.
The author did extensive research in Lithuania before writing this book. There she met with historians and government officials, and was even able to interview survivors. The result is this powerful and moving novel that finally sheds light on what for many is a sad, forgotten moment in history. 5 stars.
