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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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? In Poland, separated from her family, Alice begins to uncover the story her grandmother is so desperate to tell, and discovers a love that bloomed in the winter of 1942. As a painful family history comes to light, will the struggles of the past and present finally reach a heartbreaking resolution? While I have to admit the WWII wasn't one I've previously read about, it didn't grab my attention. So we have a girl, Alina, who lives in Poland and is in love with Tomas since forever. They planned to marry then the war started. Her story, albeit no less sad, was tamer than the usual WWII books I've read. No, she's not forging papers nor involved with the resistance... she's just trying to survive day by day with her family. It was interesting in a way but I wasn't emotionally invested in her story.

Kelly Rimmer has raised the already-high bar with this unforgettable novel, THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY . Alina and Tomasz's story is one of bravery, resilience, and the lengths we will go to for the ones we love . Fans of Jodi Picoult and Kristin Hannah now have a new go-to author' Sally Hepworth, author of THE SECRETS OF MIDWIVES Told in two timelines, we hear from Alina Dziak in 1942 just as she gets married in a Russian refugee camp. Her decision to marry will change her life and bury a lie for decades. Overall, The Things We Cannot Say is about seeing the good in those around us and believing in the power of redemption. I ate this book up from start to finish, and it’s on my list of favorites this year. It’s huggable, emotional, and beautifully-written. Did I already mention you shouldn’t miss it?!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. The book tells a dual narrative story set in two different periods—the present day and World War II. In the present day, the main character, Alice, is struggling to balance her roles as a wife, mother, and daughter while also dealing with her grandmother's declining health. Meanwhile, the World War II storyline follows Alina, a young Polish woman living under Nazi occupation. As Alina's health declines and her ability to speak ebbs, she utilizes Eddison's adaptive technology on his I-pad to communicate her needs and wishes. Alina implores Alice to travel to Poland on a quest but the quest is unclear. There was nothing to bury, no body to conduct a service over. Instead, we heard that he was gone, and that was that… Nothing had changed, except that nothing was the same anymore, because once I had two brothers, and now I had one… Our oppression was loss without reason, and pain without a purpose.

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.

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Another entry in the recent trend of female protagonists during WWII genre. Some of these books have been hits ( The Alice Network) and some have been misses ( The Lost Girls of Paris). It has been interesting to read them, but sometimes it feels like the genre is getting over-saturated. Because of that, I took a break for a while before trying The Things We Cannot Say, but my family kept recommending it, so I figured it was time to give it a try. 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 This book about finding yourself, taking risks, making sacrifices, reaching to your inner strengths, looking at your life from different perspective, fighting for your own beliefs till the end and true love stands still no matter life throws the toughest obstacles in the lovers’ way. It has been almost a year since The Things We Cannot Say came out yet life has made it impossible for me to read it before now. So many friends recommended it and they were not wrong. It's a beautiful devastating story. One that will be impossible to forget.