The Things We Cannot Say: A WWII Historical Fiction Novel

A beautifully crafted book, poignant and inspiring and very real. The story is told by two different women, a grandmother and her granddaughter, both of whom are fiercely loyal and protective of those they love, both who sacrifice for their loved ones. Their stories are messy and imperfect, as life is. I cried several times while reading this. It is sad and heartbreaking and also hopeful and joyous. A truly remarkable story.

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️At the moment - I just finished this book less than 10 minutes ago - I find myself in a state of bittersweet awe. Tears have fallen. This story is a sad one, but also a fulfilled and emotionally full one. Much of this story is based on true events and the magnitude of those events cannot be passed by, nor should they ever be. This is a book I think every person should read. I believe it will be a reminder of what should never be forgotten as well as renewal of faith in humanity.This story was well executed. Thoroughly researched and well planned. I flew through this book with ease as the story was easy to follow - even across two timelines. WWII has so many stories still untold and this story combines the story of our heroine as well as the stories of her closer family and friends. Reading this book felt like I was living this story right along with her.Below contains some spoilers.We get to meet Alice, her family - including her Babcia (grandmother). Alice takes on the challenge of a no longer verbal Babcia to help her find peace during her end stages of life. This leads Alice on a journey she never dreamed of. In a quick reaction to circumstances Alice finds herself booking a flight to Poland to find what her Babcia is looking for. With very little to go on she finds herself across the world trying to find answers to the limited context and clues she got from her grandmother (Babcia). All the while she is also balancing her own family life including a child well above average intelligence and one that is a nonverbal child on the autism spectrum. We see the true struggles of a special needs mom often in this story, but we also see the strength she has as well as the motivation she has to see her entire family survive and be well. I don’t want to say too much more, but the strength Alice has - clearly parallels that of her Babcia.

3.75 ⭐️The latter half of the book kept me hooked, but the two main characters were a bit hard to grapple with at first. Alina of course grew from the hardships she endured, but was hard to relate to at first. And Alice was just so resentful towards her husband (understandably so), but it was still hard to want to hear her story with all that bitter rage. That being said, the main plot of the story is so beautiful and I’m glad I stuck it out and finished the book.

I absolutely loved this book! Such a beautiful story that I thought I had figured out multiple times and it kept morphing and changing along the way. An amazingly powerful description of the impact on human life during WWII. With a dual storyline that went back and for the through time, it pieces together present day and history in a beautiful way. I especially appreciated the representation of children with autism and their family’s experiences. I could not recommend this book enough!

I will keep this story in my heart forever. This books will make you feel such a range of emotions. The palpable love between the couples, the unimaginable grief when faced with the horrors of the Nazi's, the fear, the hunger, the deprivations we can only imagine, but cannot fully comprehend! The unfathomable grief, The selfless heroic action of the hero, the hope that will not die of the heroine. The life that could have been, but wasn't, yet lived at its fullest, keeping their faith stubbornly, against all hardships. Yes, there are things I cannot say about this novel. Because they hurt my heart. This one will surely stay with you. One of the best reads in a long time.

This book had me in tears at the end and was so powerful. It truly shows the beauty and bravery of true love, sacrifice and family. Incredible read and loved until the very end!

This book was amazing. I don't usually look for this type of book but glad my daughter recommended it. Great wriing, great characters.

This is a good read. Although a work of fiction, the storyline is perfectly plausible given the chaos and repeated cruelty visited on the Polish people during WWII. I don’t often feel emotional after finishing a book, but this one left me feeling a bit raw. And thankful for the easy life I have been fortunate to live.