Shadows on the Tundra

That Dalia Grinkeviciute's memoir survived - and was discovered - to be published is almost as miraculous a story as that of Dalia herself. I wondered if her experiences had been one of Ruta Sepetys' inspirations for Between Shades Of Gray as that novel gives a fictionalised account of the Soviet deportations of thousands of Lithuanians during the 1940s. For Dalia and her family, the forced exile was only too real and incredibly, almost unbearably, harsh. At times reading Shadows On The Tundra, I struggled to remember that Dalia was just a teenager through these horrific years. Her voice is so mature and world-weary that it perfectly illustrates just how swiftly she had to grow up. I don't know if she ever intended to publish her own memoir or for anyone else to even see it so I felt honoured to have had this opportunity. Although we can point to its events as having occurred eighty years ago, minority groups today are facing similar state-sanctioned persecution and potential eradication in other parts of the world. I think it is important that Dalia's memories of the inhumane treatment she and many other Lithuanians suffered continue to be published are read, shared and talked about. Sadly, some aspects of humanity don't change and the only way we can try to stop similar future horrors is by ensuring those in our past are not sidelined and forgotten.