Ashes in the Snow (Movie Tie-In) Read online

  Praise and Honors for

  Ashes in the Snow

  (previously published as Between Shades of Gray)

  “An engrossing and poignant story of the fortitude of the human spirit in a dark time in Lithuanian history.”

  —Associated Press

  “Please read this small window into a tragedy.”

  —NPR

  “A harrowing page turner, made all the more so for its basis in historical fact, the novel illuminates the persecution suffered by Stalin’s victims (20 million were killed), while presenting memorable characters who retain their will to survive even after more than a decade in exile.”

  —Publishers Weekly, starred review

  “Sepetys’ flowing prose gently carries readers through the crushing tragedy of this tale that needs telling.”

  —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

  “This is a gripping story that gives young people a window into a shameful, but likely unfamiliar history.”

  —School Library Journal, starred review

  “Sepetys has penned a harrowing and heartbreaking novel. Beautifully written and important.”

  —Harlan Coben, internationally bestselling author

  “Equally brutal and uplifting . . . Beautifully written and researched, it captures the devastation of war while celebrating the will to survive.”

  —Family Circle

  “A haunting chronicle, demonstrating that even in the heart of darkness ‘love is the most powerful army.’”

  —The Horn Book

  “A document long overdue.”

  —Richard Peck, Newbery Award–winning author of A Year Down Yonder

  “A compelling love story.”

  —VOYA

  “Between Shades of Gray—billed as a young adult novel, but one that everyone should read . . . sings with truth.”

  —The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

  “Beautiful and unforgettable.”

  —Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Newbery Honor–winning author of Hitler Youth

  “Hard to read, but even harder to stop reading, there is no doubt into which category this tremendous first novel belongs.”

  —The Guardian London

  “A sweeping work of historical fiction, this meticulously researched novel will leave readers breathless.”

  —Books to Borrow, Books to Buy, syndicated column

  “A book hasn’t moved me this much since I read The Help.”

  —Deborah Sinclaire, Editor-in-Chief, Book-of-the-Month Club

  New York Times Bestseller

  International Bestseller

  A Carnegie Medal Finalist

  A Golden Kite Award Winner

  A William C. Morris Award Finalist

  The iTunes 2011 Rewind Best Teen Novel

  An Amazon UK Best Book

  A Publishers Weekly Best Book

  A School Library Journal Best Book

  A Booklist Best Book

  A Reader’s Choice Nominee in Germany

  Winner of the Prix-RTL LIRE Award for Best Novel for Young People, 2011 (France)

  A Book-of-the-Month Club Blue Ribbon Selection

  A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Book

  A Columbus Dispatch Best Book

  A Kirkus Best Book

  The #1 Book on the Spring 2011 IndieNext List

  An ALA Notable Book

  An ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten Selection

  Also by Ruta Sepetys

  Salt to the Sea

  Out of the Easy

  PENGUIN BOOKS

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street

  New York, New York 10014

  First published in the United States of America by Philomel Books,

  a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2011

  Published by Speak, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2012

  Published as Ashes in the Snow by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2019

  Copyright © 2011 by Ruta Sepetys

  Map illustrations copyright © 2011 by Katrina Damkoehler

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices,

  promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized

  edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning,

  or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers

  and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE PHILOMEL BOOKS EDITION AS FOLLOWS:

  Sepetys, Ruta.

  Between shades of gray / Ruta Sepetys.

  p. cm.

  Summary: In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author’s family, includes a historical note.

  ISBN: 978-0-399-25412-3 (hc)

  1. Lithuania—History—Soviet occupation, 1940–1941—Juvenile fiction. [1. Lithuania—History—Soviet occupation, 1940–1941—Fiction. 2. Labor camps—Fiction. 3. Survival—Fiction. 4. Siberia (Russia)—History—20th century—Fiction. 5. Soviet Union—History—1925–1953—Fiction.]

  I. Title

  PZ7.S47957Be 2011

  [Fic]—dc22 2009050092

  Ebook ISBN 9780593113653

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Version_1

  In memory of Jonas Šepetys

  CONTENTS

  Praise and Honors for ASHES IN THE SNOW

  Also by Ruta Sepetys

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Maps

  Thieves And ProstitutesChapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Maps And SnakesChapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37


  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Ice And AshesChapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Chapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83

  Chapter 84

  Chapter 85

  Epilogue

  A Behind-the-scenes Look at the Making of the Film

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgments

  Discussion Questions

  An Interview With Ruta Sepetys

  Excerpt from Salt to the SeaJoana

  Florian

  Emilia

  Alfred

  Florian

  Emilia

  Joana

  Florian

  This map is intended to convey the great distance Lina and her family traveled. It is not meant to accurately represent all country borders.

  This map is intended to convey the great distance Lina and her family traveled. It is not meant to accurately represent all country borders.

  A TIMELINE

  Day 1: Kaunas, Lithuania

  Day 3: Vilnius, Lithuania

  Day 4: Minsk, Belarus

  Day 5: Orsha, Belarus

  Day 6: Smolensk, Russia

  Day 21: Cross the Ural Mountains

  Day 30: Omsk, Siberia

  Day 42: Altai Labor Camp

  Day 306: Altai Labor Camp

  Day 313: Biysk, Siberia

  Day 319: Makarov Camp

  Day 320: Banks of Angara River

  Day 350: Ust Kust, Siberia

  Day 380: Yakutsk, Siberia

  Day 410: Cross the Arctic Circle

  Day 440: Trofimovsk, North Pole

  thieves and prostitutes

  1

  THEY TOOK ME IN MY NIGHTGOWN.

  Thinking back, the signs were there—family photos burned in the fireplace, Mother sewing her best silver and jewelry into the lining of her coat late at night, and Papa not returning from work. My younger brother, Jonas, was asking questions. I asked questions, too, but perhaps I refused to acknowledge the signs. Only later did I realize that Mother and Father intended we escape. We did not escape.

  We were taken.

  June 14, 1941. I had changed into my nightgown and settled in at my desk to write my cousin Joana a letter. I opened a new ivory writing tablet and a case of pens and pencils, a gift from my aunt for my fifteenth birthday.

  The evening breeze floated through the open window over my desk, waltzing the curtain from side to side. I could smell the lily of the valley that Mother and I had planted two years ago. Dear Joana.

  It wasn’t a knocking. It was an urgent booming that made me jump in my chair. Fists pounded on our front door. No one stirred inside the house. I left my desk and peered out into the hallway. My mother stood flat against the wall facing our framed map of Lithuania, her eyes closed and her face pulled with an anxiety I had never seen. She was praying.

  “Mother,” said Jonas, only one of his eyes visible through the crack in his door, “are you going to open it? It sounds as if they might break it down.”

  Mother’s head turned to see both Jonas and me peering out of our rooms. She attempted a forced smile. “Yes, darling. I will open the door. I won’t let anyone break down our door.”

  The heels of her shoes echoed down the wooden floor of the hallway and her long, thin skirt swayed about her ankles. Mother was elegant and beautiful, stunning in fact, with an unusually wide smile that lit up everything around her. I was fortunate to have Mother’s honey-colored hair and her bright blue eyes. Jonas had her smile.

  Loud voices thundered from the foyer.

  “NKVD!” whispered Jonas, growing pale. “Tadas said they took his neighbors away in a truck. They’re arresting people.”

  “No. Not here,” I replied. The Soviet secret police had no business at our house. I walked down the hallway to listen and peeked around the corner. Jonas was right. Three NKVD officers had Mother encircled. They wore blue hats with a red border and a gold star above the brim. A tall officer had our passports in his hand.

  “We need more time. We’ll be ready in the morning,” Mother said.

  “Twenty minutes—or you won’t live to see morning,” said the officer.

  “Please, lower your voice. I have children,” whispered Mother.

  “Twenty minutes,” the officer barked. He threw his burning cigarette onto our clean living room floor and ground it into the wood with his boot.

  We were about to become cigarettes.

  2

  WERE WE BEING ARRESTED? Where was Papa? I ran to my room. A loaf of fresh bread had appeared on my windowsill, a large wad of rubles tucked under the edge. Mother arrived at the door with Jonas clinging close behind her.

  “But Mother, where are we going? What have we done?” he asked.

  “It’s a misunderstanding. Lina, are you listening? We must move quickly and pack all that is useful but not necessarily dear to us. Do you understand? Lina! Clothes and shoes must be our priority. Try to fit all that you can into one suitcase.” Mother looked toward the window. She quickly slid the bread and money onto the desk and snapped the curtains shut. “Promise me that if anyone tries to help you, you will ignore them. We will resolve this ourselves. We must not pull family or friends into this confusion, do you understand? Even if someone calls out to you, you must not respond.”

  “Are we being arrested?” began Jonas.

  “Promise me!”

  “I promise,” said Jonas softly. “But where is Papa?”

  Mother paused, her eyes blinking quickly. “He will be meeting us. We have twenty minutes. Gather your things. Now!”

  My bedroom began to spin. Mother’s voice echoed inside my head. “Now. Now!” What was happening? The sound of my ten-year-old brother running about his room pulled a cord within my consciousness. I yanked my suitcase from the closet and opened it on my bed.

  Exactly a year before, the Soviets had begun moving troops over the borders into the country. Then, in August, Lithuania was officially annexed into the Soviet Union. When I complained at the dinner table, Papa yelled at me and told me to never, ever say anything derogatory about the Soviets. He sent me to my room. I didn’t say anything out loud after that. But I thought abo
ut it a lot.

  “Shoes, Jonas, extra socks, a coat!” I heard Mother yell down the hallway. I took our family photo from the shelf and placed the gold frame faceup in the bottom of the empty suitcase. The faces stared back at me, happy, unaware. It was Easter two years before. Grandma was still alive. If we really were going to jail, I wanted to take her with me. But we couldn’t be going to jail. We had done nothing wrong.

  Slams and bangs popped throughout the house.

  “Lina,” Mother said, rushing into the room, her arms loaded. “Hurry!” She threw open my closet and drawers, frantically throwing things, shoving things into my suitcase.

  “Mother, I can’t find my sketchbook. Where is it?” I said, panicked.

  “I don’t know. We’ll buy a new one. Pack your clothes. Hurry!”

  Jonas ran into my room. He was dressed for school in his uniform and little tie, holding his book bag. His blond hair was combed neatly over to the side.

  “I’m ready, Mother,” he said, his voice trembling.

  “N-no!” Mother stammered, choking on the word when she saw Jonas dressed for academy. She pulled in an uneven breath and lowered her voice. “No, sweetheart, your suitcase. Come with me.” She grabbed him by the arm and ran down to his room. “Lina, put on shoes and socks. Hurry!” She threw my summer raincoat at me. I pulled it on.

  I put on my sandals and grabbed two books, hair ribbons and my hairbrush. Where was my sketchbook? I took the writing tablet, the case of pens and pencils and the bundle of rubles off my desk and placed them amongst the heap of items we had thrown into my case. I snapped the latches closed and rushed out of the room, the curtains blowing, flapping over the loaf of fresh bread still sitting on my desk.

  * * *

  ~

  I saw my reflection in the glass door of the bakery and paused a moment. I had a dab of green paint on my chin. I scraped it off and pushed on the door. A bell tinkled overhead. The shop was warm and smelled of yeast.

  “Lina, so good to see you.” The woman rushed to the counter to assist me. “What may I help you with?”