Title: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Fiction
Length: 432 pages
Book Rating: A
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
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.
Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. 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. Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. 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. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.
Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative that weaves together two women’s stories into a tapestry of perseverance, loyalty, love and honor. The Things We Cannot Say is 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.
Review:
Weaving back and forth in time, The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer is a heartrending novel about the Nazi occupation in Poland.
In the present, Alice Michaels is heartbroken her beloved grandmother, Hanna, has suffered a stroke. Alice is already stretched to the limit caring for her and her husband Wade’s special needs seven year old son Eddie, and their highly intelligent ten year old daughter Pascale “Callie”. When Hanna indicates she wants her to find her husband, Tomasz, Alice and her mother, Julita, are confused because he has passed away. Due to Hanna’s tearful insistence and her anger at Wade, Alice makes an impulsive decision to go to Poland to try to figure out what her grandmother wants her to find. Despite her concern that Wade is not at all prepared for caring for Eddie, she sets off on an uncertain journey in hopes of finding the answer that will bring her ninety-five year old grandmother peace.
When she and Wade married, Alice never intended to be a stay at home mother. But after doctors confirmed that Eddie is on the autism spectrum, she dedicated herself to giving their son the best possible life. He is non-verbal and thrives on routine. Wade works long hours so most of the household and childcare duties fall to Alice who is growing resentful of his lack of involvement. Their marriage is a minefield of bitterness and anger as they avoid discussing their issues.
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, Alina Dziak and her family labor in harsh conditions on their family farm. They are forced to hand over the food they grow in exchange for rations that barely keep them alive. Alina is also very worried about her fiancé, Tomasz, who is away at college in Warsaw when Germany invades Poland. Not knowing whether he is dead or alive, Alina lives in hope he will return to her. Adding to her and her family’s worries, the Nazis have built a labor camp where Poland’s Jews are forced to live and work under untenable circumstance. They are also worried about who they ca trust since alliances among their friends and neighbors are harshly divided.
Despite her worries about Wade caring for their children, Alice tries to focus on her mission to figure out what her grandmother wants her to find. Aided by a Polish tour guide and a list of names and places from Hanna, they first journey to the small town where Hanna lived during the war. Alice is confused by the conflicting information she finds and she is frustrated by a local woman’s refusal to help her. With Hanna’s condition worsening, will Alice find what she needs to comfort her grandmother?
The Things We Cannot Say is a very poignant and highly emotional novel that offers a heartbreaking glimpse of life in Poland during the Nazi occupation. Equally enlightening is the story arc with Alice’s domestic life and her inability to voice her frustrations. Both Aline and Alice discover their inner strength as they are forced to handle difficult situations. Kelly Rimmer’s outstanding research brings the horrors of Nazi occupied Poland vividly to life. Despite the difficult subject matter, I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this absolutely riveting novel.
