Surviving Siberia: The Harrowing Tale of Ashes in the Snow — Book Review

I've never been so cold from reading a book. The tale is unsettling yet well-crafted and compelling, capturing my attention until the very end. Lina and her family are taken away from Lithuania to Siberia by Russian Stalinists because of her father's involvement with the resistance movement.

The characters are complex and lifelike. The protagonist, Lina, is strong-headed and a risk-taker, but not overly foolish when she takes risks. One has to take some risks to survive when confronted with horrid living conditions.

Her talent as an artist who uses her skills to communicate, preserve, and survive the conditions was believable and endearing. I loved the mother and younger brother characters. The supporting characters are believable, even the mean "landlord" lady and the grouchy old man—I see how they became that way.

I yearned for more justice for the characters who were taken away. They suffered nightmarish conditions while being transported in the trains and even more so, when they lived in the “houses” where they provided slave labor for Stalin’s regime. We're talking about living in fragile shelters with little food and having to work your tush off—while in Siberia.

I believe we should learn about the lesser-known horrors endured by those who were denied the opportunity to share their WWII experiences. This knowledge is crucial to understanding what atrocities could be committed during war and the mechanisms behind them. Perhaps, having greater insight could lead to identifying methods to prevent such horrors from recurring.

My ratings: five stars. I'd highly recommend this book for historical fiction fans that are 17+. The book contains violence, adult subject matter and themes, harsh labor camp scenes.