51 pages • 1 hour read
Kelly RimmerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
426
Novel • Fiction
Poland • 1940s
2019
Adult
18+ years
In The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer, the narrative alternates between Alina Dziak, a Polish farm girl facing the atrocities of World War II, and her granddaughter Alice Michaels, an overwhelmed American mother dealing with her own family challenges. Alice travels to Poland to uncover a long-hidden family secret, triggering a deeper understanding of love, resilience, and sacrifice. This book contains themes of war and the Holocaust that some readers may find distressing.
Emotional
Mysterious
Melancholic
Bittersweet
Contemplative
231,025 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer has garnered praise for its heartfelt storytelling and well-developed characters, seamlessly weaving historical and contemporary narratives. However, some critics find its plot predictable and the pacing uneven at times. Overall, it's lauded for its emotional depth and vivid depiction of World War II hardships.
Fans of historical fiction and emotional, multi-generational stories will be drawn to Kelly Rimmer's The Things We Cannot Say. Readers who appreciated Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale or Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls will find this novel captivating, as it intertwines WWII history with contemporary family dynamics and secrets.
231,025 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
426
Novel • Fiction
Poland • 1940s
2019
Adult
18+ years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.