The Things We Cannot Say: A WWII Historical Fiction Novel

Just finished this book and it was such a great read - it was the first book of Kelly's I've read. I ordered three more of her books. I was inspired by the book, "Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah which focused around WWII - I've been hooked on historical fiction for a while now - so much better than romance fiction! I ran across this book when looking for more historical fiction and it did not disappoint. I could hardly put it down! So many interesting characters with different personalities. I appreciate being able to learn from the author's research - it is hard to fathom what transpired with the Holocaust - so much evil, hatred and brutality inflicted on the Jews and beyond! I also really appreciated the storyline with Alice's family and her son who was on the autism spectrum. I have an adopted niece who deals with autism and it can be such a challenge for both parents and the person themselves. I loved how her husband came through by the end of the story and there was hope for a more balanced home life for them all. Just a GREAT book all around!!

Absolutely enthralling! I enjoy historical fiction, and you will find so much history in Kelly Rimmer's pages, that you may push yourself to even look further into those terrible times and how little those of us today may know of the hardships and atrocities that occurred. She ties the story together through a grandmother-granddaughter relationship. Hanna (Alina) and Alice have been close, but now as her grandmother's life may be drawing to an end, Alice discovers that there is much she did not know about her grandmother's life. This is the book's premise. Tied in, is the relationship of Alice and her husband, along with their autistic son, and gifted daughter and the life that Alice herself has sacrificed for what she believed to be their best interest. As Alice finds strength within her own life, she is able to help untangle hidden secrets of her grandparents former lives during the war. The story alternates between Alice and Alina, making for a flowing story-telling experience, and one that will stick with me for some time. Note: For those that have reading choices geared toward sensitivity or perhaps prefer "clean" reading, this book is able to cover horrific acts, sad situations, draw tears and anger and joy, all without being graphic in any way. There is no vulgarity or other writing that can be offensive to some readers. Yet, the book is in no way a light read, nor diminished by the elimination of such vulgarity. It is a solid read that is hard to put down. I highly recommend it and am already thinking of which of my friends I can share it with! Please take a chance and read The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer. You will NOT be disappointed.

The story begins in 1942, Alina Driak, loves her best friend Thomasz, and they plan to marry.. However, war comes in between that happening so fast. He leaves with the intent of going to college in Warsaw. BUT national soldiers take over and bring, fear, hate, and despair. Alina lives on a farm and the soldiers come by to monitor what is going on. There is a second story line of the present running along the war story. The lead is Alice, a stay at home mom. She has two children, a gifted girl, and a difficult autism son, Eddie. The dad, Wade, tends to favor the girl. An entire section goes on about their relationship. I think in my opinion it was distracting and not necessary. Alice's Grandma, Babcia, had a massive stroke and can not communicate except on a device. She continually, shows Alice, Babcia fire Tomasz. She wants Alice to go to Poland and find him. She does and it is an interesting part of the story. Alina, the war part of the story is somewhat sheltered because of her parents. She notices smoke in the distance and no one tells her about the holocaust and the news. She becomes aware of the persecution of the jews. The story has heartbreaking parts, uplifting parts, horrifying and cruel parts. The only part I had to stop was to keep track of the ton of characters and who relates to who. But, if you love reading war stories, while not as factually written as other books. It has what it was like for the families and people to try and live thru the war in Poland. As well as the ones who don't make it. I recommend reading the book!

A perfect companion to “All the Light We Cannot See.” Beautifully written, it almost seems like it cannot be fiction.

I found this book to be extremely well written. The characters just come to life as real people that you get to know. It was a great r ad and I look forward to reading the rest of the books written by this author.

Such a tragic yet beautiful story of a time in history that cost humanity so much. A great reminder to everyone to not repeat such tragedy.

Loved this book and the different time in subsequent chapters. Kept it interesting and fresh and read it in one day.

Loved the story about Alina and Tomasz. The family life of Alice I could have done without. She was really annoying. I felt as if her story with her family and the constant “sorry” between her and Wade were annoying as well. Felt as if her family dynamic was just a filler for the story. I literally skimmed through her chapters, until near the end when the truth came out. The storyline of Alina and her family was beautifully told and kept me engaged. It was a bittersweet story.

I bought this book because of the red shoes on the cover. The story is interesting and haunting and is dealt with very well by the author. The travelling between the present and the past is very well written and never confusing. Dealing with the autistic child is expertly done. I became completely immersed in the story, especially as I've just become a Babcia myself! My Polish Catholic Dad came to the UK after the war, and then went to Ireland to study, where he met my Irish Mum. They settled in England - both died 12 and 8 years ago - still feels like yesterday. And, I've just written a book myself, consisting of their childhood stories, then what happened to my Dad in Poland, especially as he was in Gdynia when the Nazis invaded, then how and why he went to Dublin, met my Mum, and then all us children (including another Eddie, and a handicapped sister Ludmila) came along. I felt incredibly close to them both when I was writing their story, realising I hadn't appreciated all the incredible hardships they went through - BUT, their love was great, as with Alina and Tomasz, and they had a long and happy life together. We really do need to always remember what happened at that time, not only with the Nazis but also the Russians, and to perhaps show that the human race CAN live together in peace. As someone once said, "when the power of love overcomes the love of power, there will be peace". If only........

The multi layered narrative is a real page turner. I learnt historical information that I was not aware of - it was a true eye opener. The difficulties encountered by Alice as a mother, were things I could identify with. I am a huge fan of Kristen Hannah and Ken Follet - Kelly Rimmer is now officially one of my favourite authors too !!

After reading this book, one cannot help but compare the terrible invasion of Poland in 1939 with the senseless invasion taking place in Ukraine today. Perhaps that is why Poland is so ready to assist the refugees pouring into its country today, because the memory of what happened so long ago is still in everyone's mind. Why don't we learn from our past mistakes? Alina and Tomasz are childhood sweethearts. The night before he leaves for university in Warsaw, he proposes to her. But when her village of Trzebinia falls into Nazi hands, Alina doesn't know whether Tomasz is dead or alive. 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? I absolutely loved this book. The characters were multi-layered and so imperfect that they seemed real. We follow Alice, who struggles with a young son with Asperger's Syndrome, a prodigy daughter and a work-addicted husband as she travels to Poland and begins to uncover a heartbreaking story that will touch her family in more ways than one. I braced myself for the ugly cry I knew was coming and I wasn't wrong. It made me feel so many emotions. 😢 The writing style was exquisite and I loved how each chapter slowly brought us closer to the truth as I hoped Grandma 𝐵𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑖𝑎 would hang on until Alice could give her the answer she had been waiting for. This is a poignant story of loss, sacrifice, unconditional love and family bonds. Can't recommend it enough.

I think I have read the book in less than a week. I couldnt stop reading. Alina and Alice family had a hard Time, but love is above all.

Written in a way that English 2nd language young adolescents can read it.