Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

What a beautiful story.  Ruta Sepetys gives us the story of a tragedy lost in history, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.  The story is told from the vantage point of four different characters: a refugee trying to get back to her family, a young mother with a terrible secret, a German soldier with an inflated idea of his ability, and a German soldier who has decided he doesn't agree with what his country is doing.  They all come together seamlessly in this tale of tragedy.  Yet it is also a story full of hope for what the future holds.  She said something at ALAN that has stuck with me, and she says it again in the "Author's Note" at the end of the book: "History divided us, but through reading we can be united in story, study, and remembrance.  Books join us together as a global reading community, bu more important, a global human community striving to learn from the past.  This title isn't released until February 2, 2016, so if you are interested in reading it before then, let me know and you can read it now (I have 2 copies).

From Amazon:

For readers of Between Shades of Gray and All the Light We Cannot See, international bestselling author Ruta Sepetys returns to WWII in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the war's most devastating—yet unknown—tragedies.

In 1945, World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer toward safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.
Told in alternating points of view, and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See, Erik Larson's critically acclaimed #1 New York Times bestseller Dead Wake, and Elizabeth Wein's Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff--the greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity can prevail, even in the darkest of hours.