It’s a very moving story about grief and a man’s struggle to get through while maintaining his relationships with his daughter, family and friends. While he listens to the cassettes he also reflects on his own life and makes changes to his current life. Empecé a leer este libro a finales de año. Un montón de sentimientos se despertaron en mí. La mezcla entre el cierre de 2018 y las sensaciones que el libro despertaba en mi interior, hicieron de mi tránsito a 2019 un viaje interno, especial.

BBC Arts correspondent Rebecca Jones presents two thought provoking short dramas from the next generation of dramatists. At one point in the book Cara, a wheelchair user and one of the three main characters, has this to say about it: However, I did really love the way Olivia’s character was written. From an outside perspective, Mehreen and Cara observe how Olivia isn’t someone who looks depressed. She’s incredibly chirpy for someone who makes a suicide pact with two strangers she hardly knows. But on the inside, when we read from her point of view, we see a completely different story. This, for me, was one of the most important aspects of the novel, stressing that you really don’t know what someone else is going through. Being brave and finding the strength to voice our feelings, thoughts take such a big step. But that step, could change everything. Whoever you are, wherever you are in the world, whatever pain you are dealing with, there is help. Talk to your family, friends or professional help or just someone you could trust and am comfortable with. There is so many solutions, it might not be easy, but help will always be there to help. The pain might never go away, but in those hard times, there will be love and comfort when we have somebody to go through it with. 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.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… 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?\\ .

Things We Never Said’ consists of ‘snapshots’ which move smoothly from when Sean met Catherine in Margate, to when April was born in Wolverhampton, and then to the present time. Right from the first ‘snapshot’ I was in tears and thought the novel might be depressing but I needn’t have worried. As I continued reading I became involved in their life together, their friends and family, and the descriptions were so vivid I felt as if I knew Sean and was there with him. I first read Yasmin’s short story in A Change is Gonna Come and really loved it so I was really looking forward to reading her debut book. So I knew as soon as I heard about this book that I would love it and it did not disappoint!This book had me sobbing by the end of the first chapter. I had never read a story where the mental health rep so completely accurate to mine and reading it felt like I had finally been seen, that someone else really understood everything that goes through my head. I have related to other characters in other books but there has never been a rep where the characters religious beliefs also influences how they feel. This book finally incorporated all aspects of my life.

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. Catherine was the love of Sean’s life. But now she is gone. All that’s left is a box full of envelopes, each containing a snapshot and a cassette tape.

Featured Reviews

The plot of this story was absolutely amazing and full of twists and turns. The plot was never boring and was extremely fast pace which is what I love. Like I already said, I love that this was told in multiple points of view so we got to see the story through three completely different yet so similar people. 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. Co jsme si nikdy neřekli, je titulem, který má rozhodně co předat a moc mile mě překvapil a zasáhl. Je to přesně to a ještě víc, co bych si přála od povedené youngadultovky s velkým přesahem🙏🏻

This book was rlly good. The characters were all lovely, the rep was excellent and the plot was gripping. I liked the diversity of all the characters and their issues, and not just the main characters but their families too. Cara lost her father and the ability to walk due to a fatal car accident a few months ago. Her once friends have stopped visiting her, she doesn't attend school anymore, and her mum has become obsessively paranoid for her safety and cannot leave her side for more than six seconds.I found the ending to be a very strong one where it guides the reader to "see" what was going to happen next. 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. I really enjoyed reading a book where the main characters are around the same age as me because although I have never been married, there were a lot of things that I could relate to having lived over five decades. Olivia appears to have the perfect life. She's from a wealthy family, she's sociable, she's kind... but that's all she lets on. Underneath the faultless costume her mother has constructed, Olivia is a victim of sexual abuse. And her abuser is moving in next week.