What an amazing story! This was the perfect read for me right now. It’s been in my TBR pile for a year now and I’m so glad that I was encouraged to read it.
This is an historical fiction about many different people from varying backgrounds who essentially are trekking to a rendezvous with a ship that will bring them out of the threat from Russian invasion, to a new and safer environment. It takes place in 1945 as the Russians are overtaking the Germans in WW2. This is based on an actual event during which a ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff, is loading and sailing with roughly 10k refugees and sailors, when they are struck by attack in the Baltic Sea. This is described within the book as the largest maritime disaster that no one has ever heard of and I believe it.
The characters are unique, each carrying a secret into their new lives. Will they develop bonds or share their mysteries with their fellow refugees? Who will live and who will not? What must this undertaking of fleeing during a war actually feel like to those who face it? While some characters are likable from the beginning and others not, they all serve a purpose to the story. It is one of the reasons this book will remain in my thoughts going forward.
Highly recommend.