I'm not a big crier, but a particular aspect of this story touched the part of me that had me sobbing at the end of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. It's tremendously sad and almost unbelievable, except that real people lived through experiences close to this one. I find myself astonished, again and again throughout my life, by what the human spirit can endure. 
 Sepetys' writing is exceptional, and though this story is told from the perspective of a 15/16 year old, it defies categorization. It's worth a read if only for a fictionalized tale of a little-known and dramatically silenced chapter of the WWII era, and/or if you loved a story like Constellation or The Book Thief.