Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is a historical novel.  The reader views the story through four eyes: Joana, a Lithuania nurse.  Emilia, a fifteen-year-old pregnant Pole, raped by the Russians, Florian, a German apprentice art restorer who didn't want to cooperate anymore.  Alfred, a deranged German sailor.

Everyone has heard stories of what the Russians do to their occupied countries.  They raped their way through Europe in WWII.  Poor Emilia is traumatized. She would have been raped again, were it not for Florian, who saved her.  After that, Emilia sticks to Florian like white on rice.  Joana runs hither and thither doing whatever to help.  Alfred is a haunting, dangerous creep.

They are all fleeing the Russians.  They want to get on a boat and get away as fast as they can.  The four protagonist, plus a little boy, all end up on the ship, Wilhelm Guftloff.

The ocean liner looks formidable, doesn't it?  So did the Titanic.

It was sunk by Russian torpedoes.  Too many drown including Alfred and Emilia.  Emilia had her baby on ship and the newborn survives, adopted by Joanna and Florian, plus the little boy.  

Heart wrenching, exciting and a good read.  It's history and it can be stranger than fiction.  My only thought is a question.  What does the title mean, Salt to Sea?  I think it means that salt is a precious commodity like people.