Very emotional and had me crying throughout the book. Immersive and captivating read. Looking forward to trying more from this author in the future.

Anyone who has read my reviews for a wee while will know I love Kelly Rimmer’s contemporary family dramas, so I was interested when she shifted genre with The Things We Cannot Say, historical fiction inspired by true events. Set during World War Two, in Nazi occupied Poland, Alina Dziak is a teenager working hard on her parents’ farm, desperate for news of her sweetheart, Tomasz. As the weeks and months pass, and the Nazis’ grip tightens, rumours of camps grow, until one terrifying evening when Alina is forced to make a heart-breaking decision.

This is a dual timeline story where in the present day we meet Alice; a busy mum of two, juggling visits to her gravely ill grandmother, whilst sticking to the rigid routine required by her beloved, autistic son, Eddie. Alice makes little time for herself, and her relationship with her husband, Wade is suffering. But by helping her grandmother piece together her history, can Alice find herself again?

Whether writing contemporary fiction or dual timeline, Kelly Rimmer is brilliant at writing real characters whose relationships are messy and difficult and awkward, but always founded in love. At times, I felt teary when considering the devastating grief and hardship ordinary folks endured. Much of The Things We Cannot Say is connected to voice, those who have it removed through terror; those who lose it through illness; those, like Eddie, who find it impossible to find the words needed to navigate the world.

It is not only Alice who learned from Alina’s story. I learned lots too. The Things We Cannot Say is a heart-breaking novel about secrets, sacrifice, courage and family.

This book was simply amazing. The story runs between 2 time lines which are current day and Alice relays this timeline and we get to know her and her family . We also have alternating chapters set in Poland during the Second World War when Poland was occupied by Nazis. This part of the story is relayed by Alina. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I will just say this book is a brilliant read and if you’re a fan of historical fiction you will love it. From the prologue of this book right up to the epilogue I was completely engrossed. The characters are wonderful as is the storyline, a must read.

The Things We Cannot Say was a fantastic book that I could not put it down. I was reading the ending with tears streaming down my face. A truly emotional book set in occupied Poland during World War Two and present day. Another great book by Kelly.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to get to this amazing book in my TBR pile, I loved the dual timeline and how they merged back together as the book progressed.

The suffering of families in WW2 is well demonstrated in this book and it breaks my heart to think of how families were ripped apart. This part of our history is dying as it's too painful for family members to talk about and the secrets and horrors are being carried to their graves with them.

Alice is a character I could empathise with and I found myself keen to keep turning the pages as her story unravelled and we learnt about her Grandmother's history.

An amazingly written story that made my heart soar and break in equal measures and is a book I will definitely be recommending.

The Things We Cannot Say alternates between the stories of two women Alina and Alice, one in the present day and one set in Poland during WWII.

Alina's story was the more compelling of the two and I thought the realism of life in Poland during the time of the Nazis invasion was powerfully drawn. There is a moving love story to sweeten the bitter taste left by the food shortages and horrror of those times.

Alice’s devotion to her son in the present day tale while balancing the needs of her grandmother was a more muted tale although perhaps Alice's certainty of her views will rub some readers up the wrong way a little, however her wish to find the answers for her Grandmother means a trip to Poland which ties the past and present together.

There are many great themes in this book and I'm sure that The Things We Cannot Say would make a brilliant book club read as there is plenty of material to explore from autism to old age and the big questions around love and guilt, sacrifice and rising up against the worst humanity can throw at each other and survive.

A truly powerful moving story that delves into the horrors of war and lost love. This is one of the first books that has made me cry in such a long time, such a heartbreaking story.
When Alice's polish grandmother suffers a stroke and her health deteriorates she pleads Alice to travel back to her homeland and although Alice is unsure of what exactly she is searching for, the story that she uncovers is exceptional. This book will stay with me in my heart for a long long time. An very easy 5 stars

☆☆☆☆☆

The first book this year to receive a five star rating from me. Rimmer seamlessly switches between the modern struggles of Alice, mother of two, and the World War Two narrative of Alina, a young Polish woman in this painfully beautiful novel. The dual narrative highlighted the raw emotion and injustice that both protagonists experience. I wasn’t expecting the gargantuan emotional weight of this book, just as I wasn’t expecting its riveting page-turning aspect. If you’re like me, and women’s fiction isn’t something you’d usually pick up, I implore you to give it a chance with this beautiful novel.

First things first, I will apologise straight off because I know this review will probably end up not making much sense, it may even end up a complete ramble but for the life of me I cannot put into words how blooming fantastic this book is.
Set in duel time lines we hear from a young Alina during WW11 when the Nazis invade Poland. Alina lives with her parents and twin brothers and probably the only thing that keeps Alina going at this horrific time is her love for Tomasz.
We also hear from Alice in present time. Alice is mum to Eddie and Callie and her beloved Babcia (Gran) has had a stroke and is unable to communicate and Alice ends up on a journey of a lifetime.
Both stories are emotional and very different. I sat reading Alina’s with tears so many times, my heart was in my mouth at certain points and I couldn’t help feeling the terror and pain that the Nazis brought to Poland. Alice’s story was just as emotional but in a different way, she is a strong woman and her relationship with her autistic son Eddie gave me a lump in my throat. I also loved Eddies connection with Babcia, more lumps in the throat.
Honestly this story had me snivelling like a little baby but it’s such a wonderful, beautiful and heartfelt story. It’s written with such compassion and it’s powerful characters had a place in my heart instantly, as soon as I started reading about their stories I knew I was going to care for them and what happened to them deeply. There’s such passion and emotion within the pages it would take someone with a heart of stone to not feel it. In fact I think even then their heart would crumble.
The Things We Cannot Say is a gripping story, I couldn’t put it down and just wanted to read and read but I really didn’t want it to end either. This is a story that will stay in my heart, the characters I will remember for ever. It’s a story about loss, grief, secrets and most importantly love and how love can be so strong and powerful In so many different ways.
I’m not going to say anymore, I don’t want to spoil the experience for anyone because that’s what reading The Things We Cannot Say is, a wonderful and beautiful experience that everyone should read. Just make sure you have a box of hankies at hand because I think you’re gonna need them.

This was an emotional book to read. I did enjoy reading it because of the truth in it .There is a compelling storyline which makes you want to read on . I would recommend this book to be read but you must expect tears as well as the feeling of happiness as you read it.

This book will stay with me for a long time. I highly Recommend The Things We Cannot Say and all of Kelly Rimmer's other books,

I love Kelly Rimmer
She never fails to tackle difficult topics. This book is no different. Set historically, dealing with war and love, this book will touch your heart

There are some books that when you read them, you know that they will stay with you, etched on your memory. The Things We Cannot Say, is just such a novel.
The story is told in two voices: The first, Alina, is a young girl living on her parents farm in Poland at the beginning of WWII. The second, Alice, is a married woman with two children, living in present day Florida.

When we meet Alina she has just become engaged to her childhood sweetheart Tomasz Slaski. When their village is occupied by the German army Tomasz is away in Warsaw training to become a doctor. As the war gathers pace and Hitler's final solution is initiated, life for Alina changes beyond recognition. Suddenly she is having to make life and death decisions, to chose one path or another and keep secrets that will entangle her life till it's very end.
Alice is a full time carer for her autistic, non-verbal, son Edison and his older sister Callie, who is extremely gifted and equally challenging to parent. Alice's beloved maternal grandmother, her babcia, has had a stroke and although she is comfortable, it is clear that she is nearing her end. Babcia was Alice's main carer while she was growing up, as both her parents had very demanding careers, her mother, Julita, is still sitting on the court bench as a district judge. The many hours that Alice spent with Babcia over the years have left them with a very deep and special bond, that even the stroke is unable to break. Edison uses a communication app on his ipad and it is through this that Alice realises her grandmother wants her to go to Poland, to return to the village she was born in.

Kelly Rimmer does not shy away from tackling difficult topics and in this novel she has chosen two very controversial areas. Parenting a child who has any kind of additional need can be extremely lonely and isolating , even if you are surrounded by friends and family. Kelly has shown incredible understanding and compassion in her descriptions of Alice's struggles as a parent of Edison, this emotive subject is written with such understanding and insight. The same could be said for her handling of the Holocaust and the mass genocide that took place inside Poland during WWII.
This is an incredible read and one that I wont forget anytime soon.

I absolutely loved this book - it is historical fiction with a dual timeline at its centre, one of my favourite types of book. Powerfully written, it is both haunting and heartbreaking. I loved all of the characters - I was drawn into their stories from the start and found this book impossible to put down and devoured it within a day. Both timeline stories are equally strong - which is unusual in this type of dual story books. The stories are set in 1940s Poland and today in Florida. A rollercoaster of a journey, I loved how we gradually found out how the two storylines were linked.

Fabulous - I can't wait to read more by Kelly Rimmer. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

An emotional story about family love. This is completely different to Kelly Rimmer's previous books and I can't recommend it highly enough

I have read a few of Kelly Rimmer's books before, and this is a bit of a departure. It suited me perfectly as I really like books set during WW2. This was from a different angle compared to what I have read before (from a Polish Catholic's perspective) which made it interesting and thought-provoking.
Set over two time periods (Florida today and Poland from 1939 - 42) the author does a good job of tying in the two periods. I really liked both of the main women characters and didn't want to put it down during the second half of the book, as I was so keen to find out what happened.
I would definitely recommend this book and thank Kelly Rimmer, Graydon House and #NetGalley for the opportunity to review #TheThingsWeCannotSay

Wow! Kelly Rimmer has done it again! What a great book!

This is a story of family, survival, selflessness and most of all love. It is very true to life and I felt like I was reading a non fiction account of someones family. Written in a two person narrative, 95 year old Alina who is hospitalised and mute after suffering a stroke and Alice, her grandaughter. The story lines swap from present day to World War Two Poland and is interwoven wonderfully to produce a compelling read.

This book will definitely be in my top ten reads for 2019.

Highly recommend ! 5******

Wow what a beautiful and moving story set in Poland during the war and also interwoven with ancestors in America years later what unfolds is so poignant and heart breaking you can't stop reading it could hardly see for tears at the end but it was brilliantly written and the ending was perfect still feeling emotional after reading this novel One of the best books I've read this year loved it

I have read most of Kelly Rimmer’s books before and always found them a very emotional read and this book was no exception. I actually read this whilst sitting on a sun bed on holiday and ended up a blubbering mess! The story centres on two main characters. Alice’s story is set in the present time and Alina’s story is mainly set in Poland in the Second World war. Alice is married to Wade and has two children. Her daughter Callie, is a child genius who often seems to get neglected as Eddie, her brother, is severely autistic and Alice struggles with his daily routines. Alice is very close to her grandmother and is devastated when she has a stroke. She asks Alice to find her memory box and when this is found asks Alice to go to Poland to find out what had happened to the people she had known. We are then taken on a rollercoaster of a journey as her grandmother’s past is slowly and painfully revealed. I don’t want tp give any more of the storyline away as it is a book you must read and learn about yourself. I can’t praise it high enough, once started you won’t be able to put it down. It was very interesting at the end of the book to learn that Kelly’s own grandmother was Polish. This was one of the most emotional books I have read for a long time and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Thank you Kelly, I can’t wait for your next book.

I have never read anything by Kelly Rimmer before, so I came into The Things We Cannot Say somewhat unprepared for the fantastic emotional journey I was about to encounter. The writing is absolutely stunning, and I was able to feel every single emotion as it radiated from the page: their joy, fear, sadness and anger.  I was drawn into the lives of Alice and Alina, and I could not tear my eyes away from the page until the very end.The chapters in The Things We Cannot Say are told from the perspectives of Alice and Alina. Although their lives are very different, their narration gave me insight into the way they lived and I was able to feel a great deal of empathy for them. I was intrigued to discover how their stories were connected. All the characters are incredibly well developed and I took them all into my heart for the duration of the novel.The Things We Cannot Say addresses a number of important issues, and I can only commend Rimmer for the time and dedication she has put into making sure these are portrayed accurately and  with sensitivity. Her research adds an extra layer of authenticity to the novel, particularly in the historical section, where I felt myself transported to the time of World War II.I cannot wait to read more from this author!