Two completely different reads this month, equally awesome.
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer is a gut wrenching story of survival, sacrifice and redemption. The story alternates between present day America and WWII-era Poland - dual timelines with Alice and Alina as protagonists. Alice is a daughter, wife, mother and granddaughter who's present life is consumed by being a fierce advocate for her autistic son and her dying mother-figure grandmother whom she lovingly calls "Babcia" (grandmother in Polish). I especially loved the internal dialogue both Alina and Alice have - real and honest. A+
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb is a therapist’s account of some of her patients as well as her own therapy experiences. Lori is an adept storyteller - no doubt related to her journalism and television background. The patient experiences are extremely relatable - we all have issues we're grappling with which are variations on a theme (fear of death, abandonment, regret, etc.). Lori relays sessiosn with Julie, a young newlywed with terminal cancer; Rita, a mature woman who longs for love yet pushes everyone away due to self loathing; John, a successful Hollywood writer tormented by the probability he caused the death of his young son. I'm a bit of a self-help geek so appreciated Lori's account of many psychology principles and their roots. A+
Queue:
The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell
The Gown by Jennifer Robson
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
