But unlike Mama, I would not go to heaven. My secrets padlocked the gates. I'd be a torn kite stuck in the dead branches of a tree, unable to fly.
Ruta Sepetys, Salt to the Sea
afterlife, death, emilia, family, flight-imagery, heaven, kite, loss, metaphor, refugee, ruta-sepetys, salt-to-the-sea, stuck, unable-to-fly