Unsaid

I started this novel on the last night of my vacation in Philly. I felt drawn in from the first page and hoped that I would remain "rooted" to this book. Now I'm home and just wrapped up the book. I didn't just cry. I bawled. My face hasn't felt a flood of tears rolling down in so long. There is so much love in this book. The love a grieving man has for his deceased wife. The love a scientist has for a chimpanzee. The love vets have for the animals in their care, both sick and dying. But learning to let go is a huge part of love, something that so few of us want to acknowledge because it leave us feeling empty. The animals teach us so much in the short time they have with us. We learn to live, laugh and love, but at some point, we also show more have to learn to let go. show less

This book smashed into my heart like no other, and I freely admit that I sobbed uncontrollably through the last 25 pages or so. This is a story of great love, great mistakes, great grief and greater happiness.

Helena has died from breast cancer but cannot leave this world yet--her guilt holds her. She has to make amends, and she tried to do so until her dying breath, but didn't attain her goal. She must rely on her grieving husband to finish what she started, but that means that he must first find out about the horrifying mistake she made years ago, a hidden pain that has haunted her life, and now her death.

The role of animals in the lives of humans is a constantly reoccurring theme in this book--Helena was a vet and also, secretly, show more involved in exciting research regarding communication with animals. Her death sets into motion a series of people to people meetings as well as animal to people connections, that steamroll into the ending that left me in tears.

I don't want to tell you more--I want you to read the book. Keep the tissue box handy and just let yourself fall into the spell of this remarkable, unforgettable, stunning debut novel. show less

Trigger Warning: This book deals with the illness and death of several animals, as well as descriptions of medical testing on animal subjects.

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'Unsaid' joins that small niche of novels narrated by a ghost. Or, at any rate, by a soul seeking her ultimate rest by overseeing the actions of those she has left behind as she continues to question the actions she took while living and wondering how those actions are going to affect her afterlife.

Along the way, she oversees her grieving husband, the often-contrary animals she has left with him, and the desperate actions of a fellow animal researcher attempting to save the life of one of their subjects.

Along the way, Abramson takes a look at inter-species communication, show more conflicts within the scientific research community, and the responsibility of both veterinarians and owners when pet euthanasia is being considered. And bubbling just under the surface the story of a couple whose time together was cut short, and with their memories, both good and bad, of lives lived and truths told. Or not. show less

It's very rare that a book reduces me to tears, but Unsaid had me reaching for the tissues as I read, curled up in the corner of my lounge. To be fair I was also recovering from a nasty illness and rather emotionally vulnerable, but even in hindsight the novel is a powerfully moving and beautiful piece of storytelling.
Helena Colden drifts around the life she has left behind after her death from breast cancer, unable to do anything except witness the grief of her husband, friends and beloved pets. She is reluctant to move on, wracked by guilt over the secrets she has left behind and fearful of the price she may have to pay for her involvement in euthanising animals in her veterinarian practice. Helena narrates the story with a painful show more longing for what she has lost and left unfinished. While she mourns the loss of her relationship with her husband David, it is her relationship with the animals she has cared for that preoccupies her and is a focus of the story.
Abramson explores the connection between humans and animals and the value each has to the other as companions. David is left to care for Helena's menagerie of animals with whom he has only a tenuous bond but caring for the pets gives him a means to honour Helena and their presence helps him to heal. Abramson's theme makes the case that a humans and animal life have equal value, both deserving of dignity and love.
Ultimately, it is Helena's connection to a chimpanzee that provides the catalyst for both Helena and her husband to move on from her death. Cindy, a four year old chimpanzee who has been the subject of a language study, is threatened with being returned to the general pool of animals available for experimentation. Jaycee, Helena's former lab partner, asks David to serve as her lawyer to prevent that from happening. Observing, Helena hopes that David will be able to save Cindy and therefore atone for her college sins. Couched in such a highly emotive story, Abramson creates an emotionally compelling case for the respectful treatment of animals and this novel has the potential to re-ignite debate on the ethical treatment of animals.
Beautifully written, Unsaid is a stirring and poignant debut novel that will touch the soul of animal lovers and compassionate readers alike. show less

In a way, this book should have had the word atonement in the title since the story revolves around life, death and getting things right or merely getting things on the right path in order to resolve all those ethical questions that occur in everyone. Helena has just died from cancer and returns to her home and life as a veterinarian to check up on her husband, friends and animals. She finds her lawyer-husband David overwrought and not coping very well with the loss. Helena took in strays of all sorts, from horses to cats and anything in between, so David must cope with the misfit animals while trying to go back to his high powered career. The story becomes a legal thriller as well as one of redemption when Jaycee, Helena's best friend show more and research partner, requests David's help in a legal issue.

Helena is just an observer and narrates her life history and the current affairs in her loved ones lives in such a profound and beautiful way. Her love of all animals has been a driving force in her life and David never really understood it until he faces the animals he must now care for. The animals are portrayed so perfectly that they just jump off the page with life. There are many little twists and turns in David's healing process and through each step he finds help in unusual ways. He hires Sally, a vet tech who is out of work, to care for the menagerie and along with Sally comes her autistic son, Clifford who really adds another dimension to the book.

The end of the book truly caught me off guard. I really wasn't expecting the book to end this way, but everything is nicely resolved (sorry, no spoilers here). Any animal lover will adore this book since it gets right to the heart of animal rights. Fans of Garth Stein and Temple Grandin will love this sweet and powerful story about the human-animal connection. show less

Every living thing dies. There's no stopping it. In my experience – and I've had more than my share – endings rarely go well. There is absolutely nothing life affirming about death. You'd think that given the prevalence and irrevocability of death, whoever or whatever put the whole thing together would've given a little more attention to the process of exit. Maybe next time.

So begins the novel Unsaid. A young veterinarian who has died of cancer looks down on her life knowing that she did some things right and some things very wrong. Especially wrong is what happened to the bonobo named Charlie. And what may happen to Cindy, a chimp who seems to be able to “speak” at the level of a 4-year old. Her husband is unwillingly drawn show more into the battle to protect Cindy.

Helena seems to be unable to leave this world, haunted by what happened in her lifetime, by her husband's grief, by the lives that she, as a vet, took.

If you believe my present predicament is merely the product of overreaction or perhaps cowardice, you may be right. But then I only have one question for you. How many lives have you taken?

The crux of this novel is whether we have the right to intentionally cause great pain and suffering to sentient beings in order to try to alleviate some of the suffering of mankind. And does it make a difference if that animals in question are more intelligent than other animals? If they are capable of communicating with humans? Does the end justify the means? Most people who have given the subject any thought stand firmly on one side of the fence or the other, knowing that there are valid arguments on the other side.

For the first few pages of the book, I thought it was going to be too agenda-driven for me. I'm better informed than many people on the subject of animal research and vivisection, and I didn't want to hear a sermon. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the message of the book was wrapped up in a good and very entertaining story. A quote that made me smile because it hits close to home is:

My first serious boyfriend in college had a sky-blue Triumph TR7. I didn't really care for the boy, but I loved the car. What can I say in my defense except tell you that the car could go from a dead stop to sixty miles per house in less time than it took me to move his hand out from under my shirt.

What makes that all the more entertaining is this quote is used to compare the car to Collette, Helena's surprisingly fast-moving pig who scares husband, David. I could also relate to:

...Thanksgiving dinner at our house was all about carbohydrates – mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, bread, a vegetable or two, and very good wine.

And while speaking of one of her dogs:

If that description of my relationship with Skippy strikes you as too anthropomorphic, then you have both my apologies and my pity.

The reader who is easily moved to tears while reading emotionally charged books should have a box of tissues or an eco-friendly hankie handy. The writing was good but not stellar. Those who love animals will find some parts very hard to read. And everyone will come away with food for thought, whether or not they care to pursue those thoughts.

I was given an advance reader's copy of the e-book by the publisher through NetGalley.com, for which I am grateful. Quotes may have changed in the finished edition. show less

I had never heard of either the book or the author when I picked "Unsaid" up out of the bargain books box at Kroger. What can I say? I'm a sucker for animal stories, and the cover blurbs punched all my buttons.

I couldn't put it down. It kicked me in the gut, made me cry, and left me thinking deep thoughts. A delightful, heartwarming read it was not. It was, however, one heckuva ride for $5.