Characters
Who are the members in Lina's family?
Elena, Kostas, Lina, and Jonas Vilkas
Where did Lina and her family live before they got deported?
Kaunas, Lithuania
Who's house did they celebrate Kucios at in the Altai Labor Camp?
Mr. Stalas (the bald man)
What does the name Stalin mean?
Man of Steel
Lina says, "We were about to become cigarettes" (5). Identify and Explain this literary device.
It's a metaphor. It means that the NKVD is planning to snuff out Lina and her family and toss them away.
Who's baby died on the train and had to be thrown out the bathroom hole?
Ona
What kind of labor camp were Lina and her family sent to first? (What kind of work did they do?)
It was a collective beet farm.
How long were Lina and Jonas imprisoned for?
12 years
Which countries make up the Baltic States?
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithania
What item, passed back and forth between Andrius, Lina, and Jonas, serves as a symbol of hope and love?
A shiny quartz stone
Which adult was sleeping with guards so their child would survive in the labor camp?
Mrs. Ardyvas
Where did everyone think they were headed to after leaving the Altai Labor Camp?
Many believed they were headed to America.
Where is the second labor camp that Lina was sent to located?
Trofimovsk,the Arctic Circle (North Pole)
When was Lithuania annexed by the Soviet Union?
August of 1940.
Sepetys alludes to this Norwegian artist throughout the novel.
Edvard Munch
How did the old bald man break his leg?
He jumped out of the NKVD truck.
Where did Kostas (papa) help Joana's family go?
Germany
How many years does the NKVD document say they are all sentenced to?
25 years
Hitler and Stalin had a nonagression pact. What event broke the pact resulting in war between Germany and the Soviet Union?
Hitler broke the pact and invaded the Soviet Union.
Mrs. Rimas recieves a letter from her husband who is imprisoned elsewhere. Her husband must encrypt the message to evade Soviet censors. What literary strategy does he use? (Name the device and the specific example)
He uses an allusion to Psalm 102
What was the name of the old lady who Lina and her family shared a house with in the Atlai camp?
Ulyushka
What prison is Kostas (papa) in?
Krasnoyararsk Prison
Who finds the letters an drawings that Lina buried?
Construction workers found them in 1995.
Which of the characters in the novel is NOT fictional?
Dr. Samodurov
The author uses italics to set apart specific sections of the text. What literary device do the italics indicate, AND what is the purpose of this device in the novel?
She uses italics to indicate flashbacks. The flashbacks serve to characterize her father who is not physically with the family throughout their journey, and they provide a contrast between Lina's past and present as a means to show her growth throughout the novel.