Trace the references to the color gray in the novel, including the passage on page 330 (Chapter 85) from which the title of the novel is taken.

Sepetys calls love “the most powerful army” (336), and her novel is a testament to this idea. Explore Elena Vilkas’s role as a force for love and what it teaches us about compassion during times of great suffering.

Examine the role of Lina’s art in this story, including in your analysis an examination of how Edvard Munch’s work contributes to our understanding of Lina’s art and what the novel suggests about the role of art in troubled times.