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“The Things We Cannot Say” by Kelly Rimmer-A Book Review

I love discovering new books and authors I have never read before. If I find a book I love have been known to read all the books that author has written before I take on a different one. When I was a child I loved Nancy Drew mysteries and my mom bought me the whole set of books. As an adult I loved the author Sue Grafton and read all of her Alphabet Series. She had a way of taking the same character, Kinsey Millhone, on one wild escapade after another and it never got old. I felt like Kinsey and I were friends and when Sue Grafton passed, even though we never met I felt like I knew her and I mourned her loss.

The book I’m reviewing today is by an author I have never read before, Kelly Rimmer. I don’t know how I missed her books before but this will definitely not be the last book of hers that I read. She writes in an easy-to-read-I’m-talking to-a-friend style that I adore.

The Things We Cannot Say is the title of the book and because I had some credits on Audible (an app that reads to you) so I decided to listen to the book instead of reading it. Sometimes you get a narrator that for one reason or another doesn’t suit you, but this narrator was very good. If you have never tried listening to books on Audible, you should. I listen while I’m walking and a good book helps me get a lot of exercise. It also helps make long distance driving easier.

What I Liked Most About the Book….

The book has two stories going on at once but it isn’t confusing. Each chapter is told from one character’s point of view so it was easy to keep up with both stories. I found it interesting that the book was inspired by the author’s own family.

The Plot-Alice is a stay at home mom who has a gifted daughter and a son on the Autism spectrum. Alice’s grandmother, who she calls Bobcha, was born in Poland and when the story begins she is in the hospital and very near death. Most of the story revolves around Alice and Bobcha.

Bobcha asks Alice to go to Poland for her. Because Bobcha has had a stroke and can no longer talk Alice isn’t sure of exactly what she is supposed to do. Alice finds a way to communicate with her though using her son’s iPad and speech app. She understands enough to know that this is her grandmother’s dying wish.

Most mothers would have a hard time flying away from their family if their family was as complicated as Alice’s. The struggle between wanting to honor her grandmother and leaving her family (especially her son) is one any mother who worries (are there mothers who don’t?) can identify with.

Ultimately Alice does go and what she learns is mixed in between chapters of WW11 stories of her grandmother’s early life in Poland. It’s expertly done and keeps the reader wanting more.

How will Alice’s family handle things while she is gone? Who will Alice meet in Poland and what will she learn? What’s so important to Bobcha that she would send her granddaughter on a journey half way around the world?

Answers

The part of the book that’s set in Poland during WW11 tells a story of young love so painfully poignant I wanted to wrap my arms around the young couple and keep them safe from the horrors they experienced; that’s what great authors can do to you.

I don’t want to spoil the book for you so that’s all I’m going to say. You need to read this one for yourself to find out all the answers and FYI-keep a box of tissues handy. I can’t wait to try another book by Rimmer. Even if it’s only half as good as The Things We Cannot Say, it will be worth reading.