The Things We Cannot Say: A WWII Historical Fiction Novel

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Alice is even worse, I wanted to shake her several times and tell her to get out of her own head for a moment, put down the glass of whatever alcohol she was imbibing and pull herself together. In a noble gesture, Tomasz agrees to switch identity papers with the grieving Weiss who, traveling now as Tomasz Slaski, will accompany Alina, who carries the film canister in a plaster cast on her arm, to freedom. I thought that Before I Let You Go was one of the best novels I had ever read…If you only have time to read one book this year The Things We Cannot Say should be that book. The Author’s Notes at the end of the novel were fascinating, as Rimmer explains where the idea for The Things We Cannot Say arose. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina's tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate.

The Things We Cannot Say - Kelly Rimmer - Google Books The Things We Cannot Say - Kelly Rimmer - Google Books

Alice's is another story of love but also a story of letting go, so that she and her family can change and grow, in ways she didn't realize could ever be possible. The granddaughter, Alice, is leading a stressful life with two special needs children and an unsatisfactory marriage, but she feels compelled to honor her grandmother’s request.

I recommend a box of tissues for the end of this book as the author totally engaged me in the fate of these characters. My feelings were so mixed I wanted to give them time to straighten themselves out and see if they went more towards yay or towards nay. The novel is told in a split perspective, with chapters alternating between the story of Alina Dziak and the story of Alina’s granddaughter, Alice Michaels. She and her mother were both aware Babcia was in her nineties and wouldn’t have much longer to live, and since Alice’s Pa had died, Babcia had become much more frail.

The Things We Cannot Say - The Free Library of Philadelphia The Things We Cannot Say - The Free Library of Philadelphia

Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents' farm.Fearing the stigma of an unmarried mother even in the military camp, Saul, now identified as Tomasz Slaski, marries Alina, whose forged papers identify her as Hanna Wisniewski. Next, I’d like to explore my conflicting feelings about the prologue and how it relates to the end of the 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. In the beginning, Kelly Rimmer paints a meltdown with such accuracy the scene brings tears to my eyes.

The Things We Cannot Say [Book Review] - Reading Ladies The Things We Cannot Say [Book Review] - Reading Ladies

Alina had no idea if Tomasz was alright; whether the war had even hit Warsaw – her heartache and worry was constant. Growing up on a modest family farm near the small town of Trzebinia in southern Poland, Alina Dziak always knew in her heart that she would marry Tomasz Slaski, a boy from the town who dreamed of being a doctor. The beautiful Polish countryside before the occupation; the hills and woods surrounding Trzebinia; Alina’s family of mother, father, twin brothers, sister and herself; Tomasz’s family – then 2019 and Alice and her family and the connections to a past they all knew nothing about. I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along (see subscribe or follow option), promote, and/or share my blog.

The story got better when she decided to do something for herself for once and I found her relationship with her husband well developed. Alice, who is in a daily struggle to meet the needs of her son Eddie, seven years old, nonverbal, and on the autism spectrum. Both stories completely captivated me seemingly disconnected, but as more pieces were added to the puzzle things started to become more clearer.