The Things We Cannot Say: A heart-breaking, inspiring novel of hope and a love to defy all odds in World War Two

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I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection!Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.” From the bestselling author of Truths I Never Told You, Before I Let You Go, and the The Warsaw Orphan, Kelly Rimmer’s powerful WWII novel follows a woman’s urgent search for answers to a family mystery that uncovers truths about herself that she never expected. Kelly Rimmer knows how to write dual timeline stories. I was hooked on both narrators and their lives. As with all of her books, The Things We Cannot Say is powerful, epic, and so emotional. It’s full of love, loyalty, steadfastness, and hope. It’s about how silence can devastate and takes years or generations from which to heal.

Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it. I went in blind which I'm so happy I did. Kelly Rimmer does a beautiful job at creating Tomasz, Alina, Alice, Eddie, Emilia, Saul, and all others right in front of me.If you like romance, WW2 stories, and don’t mind a bit of predictability, you will probably enjoy this novel. The Things We Cannot Say had me crying and I usually don't cry when I read books, no matter how sad. But this story just tore the tears from me, in so many ways. Two time periods are linked together by one woman and the truth she couldn't tell, until her very last days. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful book and is all the more meaningful when Rimmer tells us in a note that she traveled to Poland to visit her grandmother’s childhood home. She comments briefly on her inspiration for the book here : http://www.betterreading.com.au/news/... This is a story of war, of family, of loss, of sacrifice, of the goodness of people trying to save others because they saw each other as human beings, not as Jews or Catholics, and at its heart is a beautiful love story. It’s an important story as all Holocaust stories are because it’s focus is on the importance of remembering the things that happened, the importance of sharing those stories. So many novels these days are comprised of dual narratives, one in the past and one in a more modern time. They don’t always work, but that structure worked here perfectly and when the stories finally converged, even though the connection became apparent to me before that time, I cried. The moment was so emotional for the characters and Kelly Rimmer does a beautiful job of conveying it. As farmers, Alina and her family live a hard yet comfortable life until the invasion. When the Nazis invade, everything changes drastically.

This captivating tale was my introduction to the breathtaking storytelling of Kelly Rimmer, and it was an exceptional and epic experience. I was immediately embroiled in the vastly different situations and timelines that consumed and defined Alice and Alina’s worlds, with each storyline cast with curiously and uniquely fascinating characters and circumstances. The tears that I cried as I read the climax of this story would probably rival the Niagara. Although Kelly Rimmer is an established author, this was my first experience with her storytelling and now I am hungry to read more. I felt that the author's note was deeply fascinating and the fact that it is inspired by some of Rimmer's own family history makes this book so memorable.

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This book jumps between 1940s Poland and today. Both stories completely captivated me seemingly disconnected, but as more pieces were added to the puzzle things started to become more clearer. Alice’s story took place in present day, she is the mother of seven-year-old Eddie and 10-year-old Callie. Eddie is on the autism spectrum and nonverbal. Alice’s main focus in life now is to create an environment best suited for Eddie’s needs, something her husband Wade does not always understand or appreciate. When Alice’s beloved grandmother has a stroke and asks Alice to travel to Poland, will Alice refuse her grandmother’s dying wish? How can Alice’s family survive without her? Wade does not seem to understand all of Eddie’s quirks and needs. Poland late 1930s-early 1940s. Alina is a naïve teenager who thinks the hardest thing in her life will be staying away from her beloved fiancé Tomasz while he is away at college. It isn’t too long however before Alina Has to look reality right in the face. Germany has invaded Poland, her twin brothers are sent off to work camps, food is scarce, and freedom is gone. Alina soon learns that she is much stronger and vraver than she ever would have thought. Two courageous women faced with some pretty big challenges, how will their stories intertwine? love, loss, family, relationships, autism, sacrifice, poverty, fears, horrors of the war, heartbreaking, heartwarming, Synopsis: In 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. Just beyond the tents of the Russian refugee camp she calls home, a young woman speaks her wedding vows. It’s a decision that will alter her destiny…and it’s a lie that will remain buried until the next century. Emotional: Without being manipulative, the story’s end brought me to tears. I think it was the theme of sacrifice that touched me the most. Closely followed by the trajectory of the Alina/Tomasz love story. It was one of the more emotional stories I’ve read this year.

This is my second book by Kelly Rimmer (the first being Before I Let You Go) and she has unequivocally captured me as a fan. She captures human emotion with such heart and unflinching honesty. I urge you to add this one to the top of your must read list. You will not be sorry. As for the audiobook, I had a (minor?) issue with it. I am not sure if affected my enjoyment a lot but it's still worth mentioning. So we have a narrator for Alina and another for Kelly. In 1942, fifteen year old Polish Catholic Alina Dziak is poor, but she has her mother, father, and two doting brothers. The family lives on their small farm and eek out an existence in this place that is home for them. Alina's love is Tomasz, her best friend, and now fiance. Eighteen year old Tomasz is off to Warsaw to study to be a doctor and then Alina and Tomasz will marry and start a family of their own. But once the Nazis occupy Poland, grim reality slowly hits home, and death is at Alina's doorstep.Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative. The Things We Cannot Sayis an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it. - Graydon House I thoroughly enjoyed the way Rimmer told this story via a dual narrative - effortlessly weaving historical fiction with a modern day story. Alina's story is set amidst the harrowing timeframe of Nazi occupied Poland. Through her narrative we experience unimaginable atrocities of war, loss of family and friends and the heartbreak and joy of true love. I was completely drawn in by Alina's story. Her strength and capacity to love and remain hopeful in such a dark time was as heartwarming as it was heartbreaking. The second narrative is set in present day. Alice is dealing with a stressful homelife - an autistic son, a gifted daughter, a marriage in crisis and her beloved Babica's (grandmother) stroke. Knowing her time on this earth is coming to an end, Babica tasks Alice with returning to her childhood country of Poland to find people from her past. The format of the book works really well for The Things We Cannot Say. Additionally, I am thrilled, THRILLED, that those with disabilities were represented. The tension between Alice and Wade is real. Eddie deserves to be challenged and explore life, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. However, Eddie also will never be Callie. Finding the balance between unrealistic expectations and pushing someone is very difficult, and The Things We Cannot Say reflects that. Don’t miss Kelly Rimmer’s newest novel, The Paris Agent, where a family’s innocent search for answers brings a long-forgotten, twenty-five-year-old mystery featuring two female SOE operatives comes to light!

In Poland, Alina and best friend Tomasz have grown up and fallen in love. They are engaged and Tomasz heads off to train to be a doctor in Warsaw. However, the events of the world conspire to threaten their romance and lives together. Their young love creates a strong bond that must overcome many obstacles. I was reminded that to the Nazis, Poles were one small step below Jewish people, and they were treated horribly. It was a time of despair and injustice, some took dangerous risks to hide Jewish people, and all struggled to find enough food to eat.

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In 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. Just beyond the tents of the refugee camp she calls home, a young woman speaks her wedding vows. It’s a decision that will alter her destiny…and it’s a lie that will remain buried until the next century. From the bestselling author of Truths I Never Told You, Before I Let You Go , and the The Warsaw Orphan , Kelly Rimmer’s powerful WWII novel follows a woman’s urgent search for answers to a family mystery that uncovers truths about herself that she never expected. The second timeline features Alice, in modern times, and the mother of a child with autism. She also cares for her aging Babcia to whom she is very close. Babcia has secrets, and after having a stroke, she wants to talk and make requests at a time when she it’s not easy for her. Rimmer presents her story using a pair of first-person narrators. Alina Dziak, a Polish teenager living in the small town of Trzebinia during World War II, tells her experiences during the war. She also describes her love for Tomasz Slaski and the things they went through to be together. Alina’s chapters are interspersed with chapters narrated by Alice Michaels, an American mother struggling with her family life. Alice’s beloved grandmother, Hanna Wis´niewski Slaski, is hospitalized, unable to speak, after suffering a stroke. She uses an iPad app to communicate to Alice that she wants Alice to go to Poland and find the answers that Hanna has to unfinished business in her life.