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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Throughout the story, we switch between the narration of Alina and Alice and we begin to see just how they are connected. Alina's story is one of so much loss, of unbreakable loves, of heroic sacrifices, and the unimaginable inhumanity of man. 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. 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.

Kelly Rimmer’s The Things We Cannot Say is my second World War II book set in Poland this year. This book switched between two sections, a modern-day section following Alice and a World War II section following Alina. In the present (2019) Alice is dealing with her own crisis. Her dear babcia (grandmother) has had a stroke. Her son, Eddie who is the autism spectrum and communicates with an AAC app, is having a meltdown in the aisle of the store due to a yogurt label changed. Her daughter is a genius who needs constant stimuli and her husband is far from helpful with her son.The title gives us a clue that something kept secret in this family. But this poetically written, heartwarming, amazing story is not about the family secrets , it’s about the words we keep inside and it’s about the emotions we hide. It’s about the reconnection of the family by reaching their roots and discovering their ancestors and an epic, unconditional, never ending love story defeats the time, dead and war. The characters are well drawn by Ms. Rimmer, and although the two protagonists, Alina and Alice, have their less than admirable moments, I loved them both. I must say though that Alina must hold the world’s record for shedding the most tears of any other fictional character in history! Alina’s narration describes her separation from Tomasz because he was away at college when the war started. When he returned to Alina, he was in hiding because he was helping to support Saul and Eva Weiss, a young Jewish couple and their infant daughter. They had helped Tomasz escape from his conscription into the German army so Tomasz believed he owed them any help he could give them. The couple is betrayed on the night Alina and Tomasz had arranged to escape from Poland. They were going to transport a canister of film showing the atrocities taking place at Auschwitz in exchange for their freedom. Saul’s daughter and wife were killed, but he was left alive. Tomasz decided to send Saul in his place, using his identification papers, to protect Saul. He told Alina he had to warn his family they were in danger and promised he would catch up with her when he could.

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? I enjoyed the present day's plotline much more and I liked its characters. I'm becoming nowadays somewhat of a family drama fan thanks to the audiobooks I'm listening to and I suppose it was one of the main reasons why I found Kelly's perspective more complelling. I could see her inner struggle with her family especially since a stay-at-home mom, she had to quit her job to take care of her autistic son. The story got better when she decided to do something for herself for once and I found her relationship with her husband well developed.

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?! The story is told in two timelines, both equally compelling. It is 2019 when Alice's Polish grandmother suffers a stroke and has little time to live. Unable to speak, she desperately conveys the urge to seek out Tomasz in Poland. But Tomasz was Alice's grandfather, who died last year. Is Grandma suffering from a memory lapse or is she hiding a bigger secret? Fans of The Nightingale and Lilac Girls will adore The Things We Cannot Say.” —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.

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. Alice’s arrival in Trzebinia showed a very different town to 1942. Her search of that past was aided by a guide who specialized in family history, and Zofia was a friendly and helpful young woman. But would they find any answers? Everywhere they looked they were met with dead ends. Alice was desperate as the time frame for her Babcia was shrinking… In America, Alina and Saul continued to use their aliases. There was never a good time for them to tell the truth. Saul took the place of Tomasz as the father of Alina’s baby, Julita. Julita never suspected Saul was not her biological father. It is only when Alice travels to Poland on her grandmother’s urging that they learn that Hanna was using an alias.At the end of the book there is a list of discussion questions. The last question asks what will you remember most about this book. I will remember how important it is that we don’t forget what happened. I will remember this very beautiful love story, the goodness of people reflected by characters like Tomasz. Alina has been in love with Tomasz her entire life. However, when the Nazis invade her homeland of Poland, Tomasz is in danger. 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 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.