Things We Never Said

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V průběhu čtení mě chvílemi dost mrazilo. Představte si, že jste ve fast foodu a u stolku vedle sedí tři holky. Kamarádky, řeknete si. Možná si jich ani vůbec nevšimnete. Jenže co když se ty kamarádky seznámily skrz společné nutkání se zabít a právě teď přede všemi a před nikým sepisují dopisy na rozloučenou rodičům? Může to být kdokoliv. Co když ten člověk,co sedí naproti vám v metru,jede metrem naposled?\\ .

But as disconcerting as the tapes turn out to be, Sean prays that they will ultimately confirm the one thing he never dared question. Does destiny exist? And were his and Catherine’s love and life together always meant to be? What I did not understand is, why did Catherine have to tell Sean about certain things that would only make his life worse than what it is right now. Sean has lost his wife Catherine to cancer, and she has left him a box containing voice messages and photographs for him to open, one a week, over 29 weeks. These reveal her thoughts and experiences of their life together, beginning when they met as teenagers until she was aware her life was ebbing away as her illness took over. The description of her sensing the shadows drawing her into them, and away from the path of pain she was in, was so evocative and absolutely heartbreaking. Oh my days, I devoured this book in just a few sittings. It tugged at my emotions, all of them, happy and sad. I followed Sean as he found things out and how some of these revelations spilled over into his present day life. At the same time, Maggie and April, oblivious to what Sean was doing, were also trying to come to terms with their loss. Yes, of course some of the things that happened in the book were a little predictable but there was definitely enough along the way to keep my interest completely, making it very hard to put down.

The friendship in this book was also a really strong aspect. It wasn’t a perfect friendship, but when it mattered most, they were there for each other and they helped each other and I really loved that. I loved their friendship but I also loved each character individually. Mehreen was kind and gentle, but struggled with her ‘chaos’, Cara was blunt and angry and struggled to cope with her father’s death, and Olivia, whose life seemed so perfect but was far from it. I also really enjoyed how each POV was written, I liked how when Mehreen’s chaos was present, the font turned aggressive and bold and I really loved how Olivia’s POV was written in verse (I really love verse). This is a great read and a reminder to say the things that need to be said while you can and enjoy life now because the future is promised to no one. On one of Catherine's tapes, she tells Sean "...like the Buddhists apparently say, there is no future and there is no past. They're both just things that happen in your mind. In reality, there is only ever the present moment." Trošku mě mrzí, že anotace na přebalu knihy prozrazuje hodně z děje, myslím, že bych byla z akce mnohem víc překvapená, kdybych anotaci nečetla, na druhou stranu tomu rozumím, tohle rozhodně čtenáře přiláká.

The very important thing I learned about this book is don’t be scared to voice out. Just find your voice. Be brave and do what you gotta do.In the present day, Jonathan is grieving after the loss of his father. A cold, distant man, he was not easy to love, but at least while he lived there was hope for reconciliation. Then a detective turns up on Jonathan’s doorstep to question him about crimes he believes Jonathan’s father may have committed long ago… Just trying to get through the day Sean finds himself enveloped in grief. A while later he receives a box with 30 envelopes in it. Each one contains a snapshot and a message from Catherine. She asks him to open one a week. Some of Catherine’s revelations are very painful for Sean and I thought it very unfair for him to be finding these things out when she had passed, maybe it was easier for her to reveal them that way, but it caused him lots of different emotions and he was still trying to deal with the grief of losing her. I could so identify with life in the early 80s when Catherine and Sean met, the music, the smoking, the styles, and the fiery sense of injustice and eagerness to protest was so familiar! As the story progresses, the title of the book becomes clearer, if only Sean and Catherine had actually voiced their worries and feelings during the course of the marriage, perhaps they would have had an easier time. Invisible disabilities?’ Mum asks. The sarcasm in her voice is the first thing I’ve been able to relate to her about in ages."

This was a beautiful story - well written and easy to read - I have read many of this authors books in the past so was happy to see he had a new one coming out. I wasn't disappointed. The story of Sean and Caroline is told through tapes she has left him after she passes away from Cancer, which I thought was a unique angle, and did work well. Though I don't know if anyone would actually go into so much detail on such tapes (or letters which has been done before) but I guess it had to be written that way so that we can understand as much as possible of Sean and Carolines history. As already mentioned, this book hit me emotionally. But I was a willing participant, gladly investing those emotions and indeed my time in these characters. I wanted to read more, I wanted to get to know them better, I wanted them to... well, you'll just have to read the book for that to be revealed. Mehreen is such a wonderful character, she’s unapologetically, unflinchingly Muslim. We see her pray and talk about how that helps her, we even get a scene where the girls go out for a meal and they find somewhere halal so Mehreen can eat and I loved that Cara and Olivia were so understanding and accepting of it. I know how you can feel so left out if you’re the only Muslim in the group. But one of my favourite things that Yasmin spoke about is something that is SO IMPORTANT when speaking about mental health and especially suicide in Muslim communities. That Mehreen did not commit suicide because of her love for Allah, and that takes strength.

A Note From the Publisher

He has been thinking about what Catherine said, that he has stopped singing. He’s been trying to work out when and why that happened and has realised that he’s even stopped listening to music.” I really connected emotionally with this story and these characters. There were times that the story was uplifting and other times that were actually amusing. The story shares how both a father and daughter can come to terms with the loss of a wife and mother in very different ways. This book begins at the funeral of Catherine Campbell, wife to Sean and mother to April. Sean and Catherine are both in their early 50’s, living in Cambridge, when Catherine is diagnosed with cancer. Their daughter, April, is in her 30’s and is living in London. Catherine’s decline is rapid and two years after diagnosis she has passed away. There were so many things that I loved about this book. It had me thinking quite a bit about "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks, and I will tell anyone who asks that "The Notebook" has been my favorite since I read it. Olivia. Oh my Olivia. Everything in her story was so true. Her thoughts"Who would believe me a lowly girl over a lawyer". This is so common! Read Marilyn Monroe's story, who would believe her over a grown respectable man. I wish this was talked about more, so we could bring light that it is SO SO important to listen to the victim to tell girls we believe you we love you and we protect you. The author handled this issue so well, and thank you so much for the ending. Olivia deserved it, we deserved a happy ending for her. I HOPE THAT RASCAL GOES TO HELL.

I found this to be a very enjoyable book. Yes, there was a lot of reminiscing of this couple over their past vacations, raising their child, etc. but there was also hurts identified and secrets revealed. The concept of this book is something I was looking for and I loved how this book focuses more on family and friendship. The writing is so good and beautiful. I liked it when I feel those three girls are really close to me. Like I know them for so long and I just don’t wanna let them go. I’ve been laughing, cussing and almost cried for them. There’s no romance part in this book and I feel okay about it because the main focus was on Mehreen, Cara and Olivia. There is something about this author's writing style that just feels so comfortable to me. It also helps that he does tell a good tale too. Oh and he writes some of the best characters that are really easy for me to connect with emotionally. To lose someone you really love/ is hard beyond belief/ Your heart comes close to breaking point/ and no one knows the grief/ Many times I’ve thought of you / and many times I’ve cried/ If my love could have saved you/ you never would have died.”Jane Rogers, author of the Booker-longlisted The Testament of Jessie Lamb‘Tightly-woven and tender, El libro, en apariencia simple porque muchas de las cosas que en él aparecen son previsibles, es una bomba de emociones. No porque trata un tema peliagudo como la muerte, sino porque su eje central es sencillamente el amor. Y el amor no necesita artificios, ni grandes reflexiones filosóficas. El amor solo necesita la crónica de la vida diaria. Y así lo expone el escritor. No adorna nada, solo narra la vida de dos seres humanos que se quisieron con sus errores y sus aciertos. Sobrecogedor, sencillo, directo. Another important theme throughout the book was friendship. How having true, understanding friends, who don’t judge you can help you get through your worst times and even save your life. Having friends that you can open up to about your mental health and they will be there for you. That’s the friendship that they found in each other, when they felt that they couldn’t speak to anyone about how they were feeling, and what made them realise that actually they want to live. There does however need to be a balance, that although friends can help you a lot it is still important to seek professional help.