One thing that has always drawn me to Ruta Sepetys is how she writes about historical periods that are not commonly talked about. While many many authors have used the homefronts of WWII or the Titanic or the glitzy side of the 20s as the basis for their historical fiction, Sepetys takes events and times that often get overlooked and makes rich narratives from them. From Soviet displacement to the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, she has an ability to find the humanity in historical periods that have been forgotten or swept under the rug. And she has done it again here. Many of us are all too familiar with the horrors of Hitler's Nazi rule of Germany, and to a lesser extent, Mussolini is also still fresh in our mind. But the one dictator that all but ignored is Francisco Franco, which is shocking given that he was in power the longest, right up until 1975. There are not endless documentaries about him, shelves of books. His greatest exposure on our side of the pond has been the constant jokes from Chevy Chase at the original Weekend Update desk. Which is why I am excited for this book. For Sepetys to write about life under this regime, including how wealthy Americans vacationed in Spain at the time with no thought to those who served them, is remarkable and important, especially now. She is once again giving a voice to a period that we desperately need to learn from. She is opening our eyes to history by telling it from the point of view of those who lived it, obviously backed by meticulous research. And therein is why her books work; she is adept at using multiple perspectives. It is not just the story of the victims, the oppressed, it is also the story of those happy in the situation, those who ostensibly benefit from it. She shows the duality present in all history, and she does it with skill. The tones and perspectives of each character are unique and fleshed-out. Her language is flowing and evocative. She paints the scene in such a way that it is not hard to imagine the busy streets, the castle-like hotel, or the marching soldiers. History comes alive in the best way, the one that makes you think. If you are connecting with even one of these characters, if you feel even some of what they do, then you will pay more mind to the real events, you will think harder about the human consequence. You will learn more from what has happened before, which will better equip you for the future. These are not just escapist novels, they are truly important gateways into the events that led us to where we are now.