Toni

This is an historical romance at its finest. The story centers on Alina Dziak, a young Polish girl, who had to navigate through life during the occupation of her country during WW11. “The Things We Cannot Say” is a heart wrenching, terrifying and enlightening.

The storyline although romantic seemed closed to historical accuracy. It is told in two movements with two narratives in alternating chapters: Alina’s recounts her life and events she lived through during the war and Alice’s, Alina’s grand-daughter, present day voice recounts her day to day life and her trip to Poland to see what became of those cherished by Alina.

Much of this book is based on the romance between Alina and her boyfriend Tomasz. It is a bit mushy but I was in the right mind set for this kind of story so I really loved it. For those who read a lot the war time period will see the events developed long before it was written but Ms. Rimmer gave it her own spin and has provided powerful timelines that smoothly came together to conclude this sad but lovely story. By the end of the book I had my box of tissues near me….

It is a wonderful read, with its awesome twists that came from time to time to keep the tension on, making this book hard to put down. I couldn’t swap the pages fast enough to see where the drama would lead. Indeed I wasn’t disappointed in roller coaster story, so captivated by the level of turmoil in both stories and how that impacted the families that I stayed glues to every word…”The Things We cannot Say” also showcases the lengths one will go for those we love. Ms. Rimmer’s has an undeniable talent to draw believable and captivating players and to place them in roles true to character. Well-done.

My thanks to the Publisher Graydon House and Netgalleys for the ARC