This book was fantastic. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Have tissues ready.

The book starts with a wedding. Sounds easy, right? Except we don't know the first thing about the people getting married. We know that it's 1942 and that our protagonist is marrying a man named Tomasz in a refugee camp. But, as it turns out, the man she married is in fact NOT Tomasz, and they "had inadvertently tied our lives into a Gordion knot that would take more than eighty years to unravel."
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The novel takes place in dual timelines, all over the world. Our two main characters are Alice and Alina. Alina is in Poland in the 1940s, during WWII; Alice is in current times, living with her husband Wade (busy scientist), Callie (ten with an IQ in the 150s) and Eddie (mentally challenged). Our scene opens in the yogurt aisle of the store, where Eddie is having a meltdown over the people at Go-Gurt changing the label. Once that issue is solved, they head to the hospital to see Alice's grandmother, Hanna. There is an app that they use to communicate with Eddie called the AAC app, and this is how Hanna communicates after having a stroke that damaged the language center of her brain. She tells them she wants her memory box from home - and this starts an epic quest for closure and reveals family secrets that have implications all across the globe.
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This book was amazing. I have no idea how Kelly Rimmer didn't bawl her eyes out while writing it (or maybe she did, I don't know!). I loved it. Just when you settled in on one timeline, a bomb got dropped and woosh, you went forwards and backwards in time until the book races towards its final conclusion, which made me cry buckets. This is definitely not a light read, but it's so, so worth it. Read it; you won't regret it.
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My thanks to NetGalley, Kelly Rimmer, and the publishers.

In this dual-POV story, Alina is coming of age in Nazi-occupied Poland while Alice grapples with family dynamics in the present-day. The Things We Cannot Say weaves these two stories together, layering the tragedies experienced by a family in war-torn Poland with the daily struggles of a family raising two children (one academically gifted and one on the autism spectrum).

All the smaller plot-lines of this story (day-to-day life in Nazi-occupied Poland, for example) should have made for a compelling story, fans of other WWII fiction will be drawn to this story for sure. While the characters in the book all experienced very emotional journeys, I just did not feel the emotion alongside them as their narratives and dialogue all seems very matter-of-fact.

I do think this story could be appropriate for young-adult readers as an introduction to the genre or in conjunction with their non-fiction learning, it's informative but easy to understand.

Sensational novel about finding your own strength and direction, even when it seems impossible. The story of a granddaughter attempting to fulfill the last wish for a dying grandmother brings about more than anyone in their family expected. Emotional, inspiring and full of beautiful characters, this is sure to be a favorite book of 2019!!

I have read quite a few novels based around WWII that I have enjoyed, but this one is definitely at the top of my list of favorites! There was so much emotion poured into this book, laced with beautiful and lucrative writing. I devoured every page from start to finish. The storylines were so moving and poignant, and the characters were so credible and raw, with intense personalities and relationships - I was gripped with emotion. I love this book, I love the stories told.

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer is an emotional historical fiction novelthat spans the time between World War II and present time.

When Alice's grandmother's health begins to decline, Babcia asks Alice to embark on a once in a lifetime trip to Poland. Babcia is adamant, though Alice can't begin to understand what Babcia wants. Torn between caring for her disabled son and granting Babcia's wish, Alice has to make a tough decision--one of many throughout the book.

The Things We Cannot Say jumps back and forth between Alice, in present time, and Alina, in the past.
Alina's story is tough to read. In nazi-occupied Poland, Alina struggles to survive. With her best friend and fiance, Tomasz, by her side, she struggles to put one foot in front of the other. Day by day, their dire situation gets worse, and hope begins to dwindle.

I loved The Things We Cannot Say. It was a wonderful read that tugged on every emotion. This story was about love, survival, and family. The writing was simply beautiful. While the pacing was on the slower side, the world building and intense imagery more than made up for it.

Theending required a full box of tissuesto get through. It was devastatingly sad but also beautiful and poetic. Love transcends time and distance.

All of the characters in The Things We Cannot Say were written with care. They were lifelike and remarkably complex. I enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them.

This was my second book by Kelly Rimmer. The first I read of hers was Before I Let You Go, another book I gave 5-stars. If you haven't read any of Kelly Rimmer's books, I highly recommend you do! Have the tissues handy--you'll need them.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kelly Rimmer's, The Things We Cannot Say, tells a story deep with love and devotion. Set in the present time and in 1942 war-torn Poland, the story of Alina and her fiance Tomasz unfolds along with Alice and her struggle to be the mother, daughter, and granddaughter that she strives to be while staying true to herself.
Highly recommended for even those who typically do not enjoy historical fiction. Great novel!

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book hits many of the points that I like in a Historical Fiction novel - WWII era, dual time lines/POVs and a look into the lives of everyday citizens during the war. But even with all these boxes checked, my feelings for this WWII Historical Fiction read are mixed.

I was intrigued by the premise, but I think this book is trying to be too much. There is a romance, a mystery, a family in crisis and two POVs with Alina's being more interesting by far. In comparison, I found Alice to be frustratingly entitled (like her mother) and I didn't enjoy how she repeatedly overreacts to her home life which includes parenting a son who is on the autistic spectrum and a gifted daughter.

There is a good mystery surrounding the identity of a family member which was the highlight of the book for me. Unfortunately, overall, the book has a drawn out feeling and that wasn't helped by the repetitive dialogue - a character would experience something and then later regale the experience to another character making the reader experience it again.

I think many people will enjoy this book and while I enjoyed getting a view into life for Polish citizens during the war, I found the book to be predictable and too long winded. There are some a couple tense scenes but overall, this is more of a romance with a hint of familial mystery with WWII atrocities and tension feeling too subdued for this reader.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Graydon House for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have read a lot of historical fiction about WWIII have read a lot of historical fiction written about WWII and now I have enjoyed a new story written by a talented writer. She works two different storylines, one historical and one current and blends them into an exciting read. Love, dedication, self sacrilege all play important roles in both stories. Both stories are powerfully told and a part of history is once again stated and preserved for future generations. #NetGalley #The Things We Cannot Say

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would because it deserves far more than 5.
Alina is living in Poland during the time the Nazi invasion occurs during World War 2. She is the youngest of her family and spoiled as well as engaged to Tomasz. The war makes her go from this spoiled little seventeen girl into a woman who learns through her trials, poverty, and a new bitter world.
Alice is living in 2019 and her Babcia (grandmother) suffered a stroke and is hospitalized. Her grandmother asks her to go to Poland to find out a mystery of what she left behind. This causes problems for Alice because she doesn’t know exactly what her grandmother wants from her because her grandmother cannot speak due to the stroke. So, she uses Alice’s iPad to communicate off an app that is used for Alice’s autistic son, Eddie.
How will Alina and Alice’s life interwine?
This story was beyond beautiful and well crafted. There was so much growth in both characters and the people surrounding them. Be sure to grab tissues because the end will make you emotional.

I was immediately drawn to everything about this book, from the haunting cover to the gripping description, and I knew I had to read this book.
Where to even begin with The Things We Cannot Say? Alternating between America today and Poland during the German occupation, The Things We Cannot Say breaks your heart over and over. It takes you to the highest highs of love and the lowest lows of loss, and the second you think things can't get any worse, they do. Oh they do.
Alice is a stay at home mother who faces a daily balancing act of managing a home, while trying to keep her brilliantly gifted daughter, Pascale (Callie), entertained and busy, and challenging son Edison (Eddie), diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum and is non-verbal, from having meltdowns over things as seemingly simple as yogurt packaging and lumpy soup. Her rigid daily routine is shaken when her Babcia is hospitalized after a minor stroke though, and is left unable to communicate. For once, Eddie's disabilities are a blessing. Using his Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app on his iPad, Babcia is able to communicate with Alice and Alice's mother, Julita, albeit in the most rudimentary of ways.
As Alice tries to understand the request Babcia has made of her, we are introduced to Alina Dziak, a Polish teenager growing up in the midst of the German occupation of Poland. A naive young girl, Alina believes that the war will not reach her small town of Trzenbinia. She believes her boyfriend, Tomasz Slaski will board a train, attend medical school, and return to her. She believes everything will be just fine. Shortly thereafter, it's not just her love Alina is saying goodbye to, and the harsh reality of the war hits her. As her brothers are shipped to a work camp, her love's father is executed in the town square by Nazi soldiers, and a rancid scent hangs in the air over her family's farm, she watches the smoke curl in the sky from Auschwitz, firmly believing, as her mother told her, that it's just a large furnace heating the shower water. Young Alina is forced to grow up quickly as the war rages on around her town.
When Babcia doesn't seem to improve after her stroke, Alice can't let her grandmother's bizarre and confusing request go unanswered. And so she finds herself boarding a plane bound for Poland, anxiously leaving her family in the hands of her, in her opinion, less than capable husband. Alice doesn't know what her Babcia is trying so desperately to tell them, but she's determined to find out. The woman who stepped in when her own mother was far too busy for her growing up deserves nothing less. Plus, experiencing the culture of your family firsthand is never a bad thing.
The Things We Cannot Say isn't like your typical historical fiction. Many of the the ones I've read follow the tragedy of prisoners inside places like Auschwitz and Birkenau, or discuss the terror of running for your life. This book touches on both of those, but also covers the heartbreak of waiting, of not knowing, of being on the outside, of escape. This is a highly neglected niche, and Kelly Rimmer did an astounding job of keeping the reader guessing what Babcia's secret might be, of whether Alice will discover it, and of keeping me flipping the pages, devouring the book as quickly as I could. The Things We Cannot Say is a book I will highly recommend to friends and family. My heart was in my throat for Alina and Tomasz, for their love and hope for the future.
The Things We Cannot Say is a love story and a coming of age story, but it's not that far from the truth. The stories of men and women who fled their war-torn countries during Hitler's reign of terror are plentiful. This was not a war that just affected the Jews, it affected everyone. And to forget this is the real tragedy.

This book focuses on the story of two women - one, a young woman growing up in Poland during World War II, and the second woman is a woman in today's world trying to unwrap the mysteries of her daily life. This work of fiction is unique because it focuses on what life was like in Poland under Nazi occupation, which offered an interesting perspective on life during World War II. The modern story also incorporates a character who is on the autistic spectrum, which is also needed to be included in fiction books. I found this book to be compelling, especially as it deals with themes of family. I would recommend it to students who are interested in learning more about World War II through historical fiction.

Imagery is central to THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY by Kelly Rimmer. There is no way you will forget the images Kelly Rimmer has painted with her words. THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY is a brilliant canvas filled with images of people, events – history told as part of an insightful novel that will be remembered. As the history of this tragic time should never be forgotten.
Kelly Rimmer asks the reader in poignant questions to reflect on what parts of THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY affected us the most. The most difficult part of that would be to reduce those moments to a realistic number. Perhaps it all begins with a random encounter with a wonderful older woman who gifts young Eddie with a dreidel. Perhaps it was the Sophie’s choice moment of Alina’s parents. Perhaps it was the cavalier executions. Perhaps it was the moment when it all became so clear. You will know those moments and many more.
Well all I can say is Kelly Rimmer has outdone herself. I thought that Before I Let You Go was one of the best novels I had ever read. It was strong and honest at the same time raw and direct. THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY is unerringly stark and honest. It tells of a time that is often ignored or disavowed as untruth. Special people have made sure that a time like this should never happen again. The slogan Never Again is a living thing born out of tragedy too gruesome to mention. But in THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY Kelly Rimmer once again tells this story this time through the eyes of two generations of Polish women – a granddaughter and a grandmother.
THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY is compelling and scary – all the more since it is based on events that occurred in history. It is a story about people – those that were lost – those that survived and the legacy of that time.
Kelly Rimmer takes some literary license since this is her tale to tell and fashion but there is no denying the truths that emerge between every line in the book. I knew that I wanted to read THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY after experiencing the writing of Kelly Rimmer. I truthfully was not prepared for how I was affected by this story.
Main characters are current day Alice and her grandmother Alina. Alina’s voice is the narrator of the story of the past. Alice’s is the present. Both women are strong – they have to be.
Alina is learning the harsh reality of the Nazi invasion of Poland keeping a watchful eye on her beloved town and all its people. She quickly realizes that these soldiers speaking only in German were rooting out the most influential men of the town. As Alina says to destabilize her people these Nazi soldiers were knocking out the foundation so the rest crumbles. Thoughtful people are compelled to help and Alina was to do something that was brave and stupid. But necessary and would more likely repeat. Cowardice was not an option.
Alina doesn’t envision herself as a strong woman. Alice feels as though the walls of her life are closing in on her. Neither feels as if they are in control of their lives. Both are correct. Alina’s life and those she loves are tethering on a narrowing ledge that diminishes daily. Alice’s world seems confined to her family responsibilities. THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY clearly illustrates how these two woman have underestimated their innate strengths.
Kelly Rimmer says it best when she tells of how this story found its way into her mind. She marveled that not even the worst of humanity is powerful enough to stamp out grace or hope or love. If you only have time to read one book this year THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY by Kelly Rimmer should be that book. Keep tissues handy.

The Things We Cannot Say ran me through the gamut of emotions. While heartbreaking, it’s also a tale of courage, happiness, and the true meaning of family. There are many touching and extremely poignant moments that take your breath away. It reminds us that love is messy, complicated, and totally worth any risk. At the end we’re left to reflect on our own family history and what our ancestors went through so we could have a life they weren’t able to. I have read all of Kelly Rimmer's books and this one doesn't disappoint.. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Alice is struggling with her stressful day-to-day life. She never imagined that she would be a stay-at-home mom and that her son would be special needs, on the autism spectrum. Alice loves her son and daughter immensely, but with a workaholic husband, Wade, who seems removed from family life, Alice gets overwhelmed.

And to make matters worse, Alice’s grandmother just had a stroke and is having trouble understanding and communicating via traditional language. But Alice is able to communicate with her via an app she uses with her son and she is adamant that Alice visits Poland, even though Alice has no clue why. Her grandmother left Poland with her husband after WWII and never retold her experiences there to her family. So Alice she’s out to go to the places and look for the people that her grandmother asks her to because Alice isn’t sure how much longer she has left with her grandmother. And she wants more than anything to fulfill her grandmother’s last wish.

Back in 1938, Alina and her fiancé, Tomasz, are separated when he leaves their small Polish town for Warsaw to study medicine. Shortly after, the Germans occupy their town and Alina and her family are adjusting to a new way of life. Alina’s twin brothers are both forced to go to a work camp, which leaves Alina to help her parents tend to the farm. Alina worries for Tomasz every day and when they are finally reunited, Tomasz is a changed man, having gone through terrible experiences. He is now helping Jewish families and even though it could cost them their lives, Alina and her family risk everything to assist Tomasz in his effort.

Alina and Tomasz are separated yet again, but their love knows no bounds. They always manage to come back to one another, despite the unthinkable hardships they’ve experienced. Alina and Tomasz are each two halves of a whole heart, always persevering, always fighting for their once-in-lifetime love.

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer is an emotional, heartbreaking, yet heartwarming historical fiction novel set in WWII. Told through dual timelines, jumping back and forth between our two leading ladies—Alice and Alina. Two extremely strong women leading polar opposite lives. This is a story about love’s tenacity and finding the will to survive when the road ahead seems unmanageable. This story was painful to read at times, as my heart went out to the victims of this cruel period of time. I could tell Kelly Rimmer put blood, sweat and tears into crafting this masterfully written novel. She painted a historically accurate picture of this era along with characters that I felt connected to. I highly recommend Kelly Rimmer’s books—The Things We Cannot Say is a must read! 5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Graydon House and Kelly Rimmer for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I had known before going into this book that one of the characters is the mother of an autistic child. I always feel verrrrrry iffy about stories from this point of view, as I don't always feel good about the autistic representation. I would really love to read a review from an autistic person to see how they felt about this representation, because I just felt uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that I had to stop reading. While I enjoyed the second timeline, which took place in the past, I felt it was not enough to get me through the icky feeling in the present-day timeline.

That said, I think aside from my feelings about that, the story is interesting with a mystery presented almost immediately, which always keeps me eager to find out what happened. The story does move slow at times, and some of the writing lacked tension, but I still recommend it to anyone who loves dual timelines with family mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Graydon House Books for providing me an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

When I finished Before I Let You Go, I was emotionally wrecked, and I loved it. The same now goes for The Things We Cannot Say. As most of you know, when I get emotional or cry while reading a book, I’m going to recommend the heck out of it… but I’m getting ahead of myself here, so let me share a little about the book before I start gushing.

Alice is a wife and mother of two children- Pascale, a ten-year old and exceptionally intelligent child, and Edison, a seven-year old who lies on the autistic spectrum, and is nonverbal. Alice’s husband, Wade, is a gifted mathematician who is constantly working and researching, leaving Alice to run the household and manage the family’s needs. Often, Alice finds that for as much as her children and husband need her, her own needs are sacrificed. With her husband relatively absent, and a mother who is busy with her own career, Alice has only ever had her Babcia to support her.

Now, Babcia is in her mid-nineties and suffering from a recent stroke. She is left struggling to converse in anything but her native Polish. Attempting to bridge the gap, Alice attempts to communicate using her son’s AAC technology- an app that communicated with representative pictures instead of words, whose labels are robotically translated by the device. When Alice asks Babcia what she can do for her, Babcia gives her befuddling instructions- “Babcia fire Tomasz.” Though confused, Alice knows she will do anything to aid her grandmother’s last wishes- even if it means upsetting the balancing act she’s been performing since her son was born.

In alternating perspectives, we also learn about Alina, the last born daughter of Polish farmers living through the stages of the German Occupation at the start of WWII. Sheltered most of her life in the rural town of Trzbenia, Alina cannot fully comprehend the dire situation of the occupation- but what she does know is that her beloved best friend and fiance, Tomasz, is stuck in Warsaw during the war outbreak. He promised her that he would always return to her, but with Nazis patrolling the area and her farm less than 20 kilometers from the German work camp, she is afraid she will never see him again.

Rimmer weaves this beautiful story of a struggling mom and a young woman in love fighting for their freedom and relationships. It’s absolutely mesmerizing, and I couldn’t look away from my Kindle. The book tackles some heartbreaking subjects such as death, loss, grief, and struggles with special needs children, but Rimmer does so with grace and realistic emotions- nothing sugar coated or melodramatic.

I believed that this could have been any of the WWII survivors stories, and I especially related to Babcia’s story because I too had a Babcia- my Great-Grandma Nellie, who escaped the very early days of the German Occupation from Sulkowice, Poland in 1937. She was fourteen when she immigrated to the United States to live with her aunt and uncle, married my Great-Grandfather in 1941, and had three children. As Rimmer wrote (and of course, what made me cry), my family wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her bravery, leaving behind her family and everything she knew. She has since passed away- at the ripe old age of 82- and though she is missed, she is often thought of with a smile.

Not only do I wan to send a thank you prayer up to my Great-Grandma, but I also want to thank Rimmer for writing this novel. It touched my heart and it was a joy to read. I highly recommend this book, and I will absolutely be buying my own copy.

Wow. It's been a long time since I've cried this hard over a book before. This novel is a gorgeously thought out meditation on the different kinds of love we experience in our lives and the lengths we'll go through to protect each of them. Normally, I don't like when historical fiction switches from past to present between chapters, but Kelly Rimmer does a lovely job with it, so I wound up not minding it at all, which is rare for me! I wound up guessing the plot twist about halfway through the book but kept hoping I was wrong, so when I got to the part that explains the plot twist, I was an even bigger mess.

Honestly, I can't think of anything else to say because I'm too busy drowning in my own emotions. I finished the book not even 10 minutes ago, and I'm still crying as I try to make my typing coherent! One thing I wasn't thrilled by is the formatting of the galley. This isn't a criticism of the novel or the writing or anything like that but rather the clumsiness of the actual galley, which is why I'm giving the book a 4 star review instead of the 5 star I think it probably deserves just based on the actual novel itself. Typos, weird paragraph indentations, and a lack of differentiating between when someone was texting versus Alice talking were all frustrating and slowed down the reading process a bit. Again, this isn't something Kelly Rimmer can control, but if you're reading a galley, keep in mind that there are still a lot of kinks in the digital format.

To sum this all up: Incredible book. Read it. But keep an eye out for weird format issues if you're reading a digital galley.

If I could give this more stars I would! I absolutely loved this story and how it wove between past and modern times. Dealing with issues during WWII and with life in current times, have your tissues on standby. Well written, defined characters and storylines, the story just grabs hold and won't let go until the final line

This book was written in the currently popular style of two story lines separated by 50+ years. It included secrets and lies which are oh, so popular today. One story was set in Poland during WWII, close to an extermination camp, and told of the horrors of the Nazi occupation. The other story was about a mother, saddled with a child on the autism spectrum (don’t call him “autistic”!) and another child who was super gifted. The older story centered on the grandmother of the current-time protagonist in modern day America.

All of the modern day characters felt themselves “entitled” for one reason or another. The grandmother of the aforementioned children was a judge and felt herself too important to help deal with her daughter’s problems. There also was the husband of our modern day protagonist who tried so very hard to be helpful, but was bashed and denigrated by his wife/mother of the children.

If these issues had been presented in a believable fashion, the story could have been very worthwhile. As it was all of the issues were so very overdone, they defied and mocked reality.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and Harlequin-Graydon House for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

If I could give this book ten stars I would gladly do so! It was that good and I enjoyed it that much. It would make an excellent book for a book club discussion and includes a reader guide to facilitate with that.

In her notes, Kelly Rimmer states that for her "the best fiction always contains threads of the personal." Her inspiration for this story began at a family party that took place some ten years before this book was written. As she and her family celebrated while eating traditional Polish foods it struck her that her now large family had begun with a single Polish Catholic couple who, displaced by war, had emigrated huge distances from their home and the world they knew to a country that was often "less than welcoming to refugees". Sadly, the author did not know too much about her grandparents story beyond the fact that "they had little time to reflect or grieve even once the war ended. Their focus was on the future, and the physical, emotional and psychological wounds of war were soon trapped beneath the surface of the new life they were forging. The lessons they learned along the way were often lost to time." Their story inspired her to learn more about what it would have been like for people like her grandparents and led to in-depth research including a trip to Poland where she actually viewed buildings that had meaning to those in her family.

As the author studied and researched what life was like for Polish citizens under Nazi occupation, she was "inspired by so many stories of love and survival, even in the face of unimaginable oppression and cruelty." Out of this inspiration came the story of Alina, Tomaz and Saul. Rimmer marveled that "not even the worst of humanity is powerful enough to stamp out grace, or hope or love."

As the story begins in 1942, young Alina is just outside a tent city of the Buzuluk refugee and military camp in the Soviet Union. All her life she has dreamed of her wedding day when she would make her vows of love to Tomaz Slaski, the boy she grew up with and always loved. Instead of her dream wedding she finds herself being married in terrible conditions while knowing that most of the people she loved were either dead, in a concentration camp or just lost. As I read I could feel her despair as she and her groom, both covered with lice, made their promises.

The story, however, is not just the story of Alina. It is also the story of her daughter and her grand-daughter Alice. Rimmer moves back and forth between the past and the present as she tells the story of this family. Alice has a son Eddie, whose life has been severely affected by autism. He communicates using a special tablet. She also has a daughter Pascale, who is brilliant. Her husband Wade is a wonderful father to Pascale, but has never really bonded with Eddie and doesn't really understand how important schedule and routine are in making Eddie's life a happy one. As I read about Alice's life with her children and the love and care she poured into caring for Eddie it brought back memories for me of my life growing up with a sister who was mentally handicapped. The experiences Rimmer described were gut-wrenching and reminded me of scenes from my own past and the knowledge of how my family was affected by the need to care for my sister. The tools and techniques Rimmer describes include some things that are still in use in my sisters care.

Alice's grandmother Hanna or Babcia as she calls her is one of the most important people in Alice's life and also in Eddie's life. As the modern part of the story begins, she is in hospital having suffered a minor stroke and Alice and Eddie are rushing to get to the hospital to spend as much time as they can with her. Babcia is 95 and Alice recognizes that her time is likely to be short. When they finally make it to the hospital, Alice's mother Julita Slaski-Davis is waiting impatiently and Babcia is unable to communicate verbally. Despite that, her love for her grandson is evident and heartwarming. While Alice gets a health update from the doctor, Eddie uses his tablet to "talk" with Babcia and Babcia manages to use it to reply. This discovery makes it possible for Babcia to communicate at least some of her wishes though not without some confusion. Ultimately it becomes clear that she wants Alice to make a trip to Poland on her behalf to find out things that Babcia did not know when she left her home. As the main caregiver for Eddie, this seems to be an almost impossible request but Alice finally, with her husbands support, (even though he has no clue what he is getting himself into) makes the decision to go to Poland.

And so their stories unfold moving seamlessly back and forth from past to present and back again. I have been lucky enough to visit Poland and visit Auschwitz and Terezin. As I read Alina's story and alongside the story of Tomaz and Saul (a young Jewish doctor), I felt as if I was there while it was happening. As I read Alice's story I was moved by her experiences and discoveries and by how her nuclear family adapted to her absence and overcame issues that had really been holding them back from being a united family.

This is a novel about love and respect and the strength it takes to survive some of the toughest things that life has to throw at you. It may not be for the faint of heart as some of the descriptions of things that happened during wartime are truly horrible but it is a book that needs to be read and remembered. I know I will be reading it again.

This book is more than a novel about war (although it certainly tells the story eloquently). First and foremost it is a story about family and I leave you with the final paragraph.

"Our family life is never going to be easy, but that can't stop any one of us from reaching for our dreams. It cost our ancestors too damned much for us to have this life - the best thing we can do to honor them is to live it to its fullest."