Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Unsaid

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 2,187 ratings · 613 reviews

As a veterinarian, Helena had mercifully escorted thousands of animals to the other side. Now, having died herself, she finds that it is not so easy to move on. She is terrified that her 37 years of life were meaningless, error-ridden, and forgettable. So Helena haunts-- and is haunted by-- the life she left behind. Meanwhile, David, her shattered attorney husband, struggl...more

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published August 4th 2011 by Center Street (first published January 1st 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Most Exciting Books Coming Out Fall 2011

151st out of 225 books — 880 voters

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Books That Changed My World

440th out of 1,383 books — 1,451 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Oct 18, 2012 Molly G rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, death, fiction, grief, religion-philosophy, science, staff-pick, words-arc

Temple Grandin's review quote on the cover includes the sentence: "I was not able to put it down, and I read parts of it twice." Me, too; though I didn't realize she meant, you'd read a page, and as soon as you reached the bottom of it, you'd instantly go back read it again. You don't need any reminding of what was written, but you might as well enjoy the words one more time because you're still in the moment.

Very beautiful. Incredibly vivid—don't bother making the movie, just read the book and...more Temple Grandin's review quote on the cover includes the sentence: "I was not able to put it down, and I read parts of it twice." Me, too; though I didn't realize she meant, you'd read a page, and as soon as you reached the bottom of it, you'd instantly go back read it again. You don't need any reminding of what was written, but you might as well enjoy the words one more time because you're still in the moment.

Very beautiful. Incredibly vivid—don't bother making the movie, just read the book and you have it running through your mind; smart, knowledgeable, and accessible, with driving momentum. I avoid the phrase "pulled at my heartstrings" because that suggests (to me) emotional manipulation: like certain soundtrack music where the goal is to make you feel something. Versus, in this book, feelings are huge and impactful, "you'll laugh, you'll cheer, you'll cry" (I did), not for emotions' own sake but because they're so rooted in content. Likewise with any philosophizing. It all comes up out of a very rich and tangible ground, in theory and experience alike.

Not to be reductive to either of them by comparing, but still can't help one of those "people who enjoyed blah would enjoy blah" sensations about this book and The Dogs of Babel. Certainly they have a lot in common regarding subject matter and themes, while the experience of reading each is quite different—don't read one for more of the same from the other; but there's an affinity, a like-mindedness for enjoyment.

Reread 7-27-11 in two days, on the planes from NJ to London to Edinburgh, and on our first day at the Salisbury Green Hotel (University of Edinburgh) in the bath from a day of walking through Holyrood Park and the historic city.

[ words ] staff pick, uninterrupted "sold" run of July-Aug 2011, book II
Staff pick blurb: "9/22 FIGE - A breathtakingly vivid, beautiful novel, combining the author’s real expertise as a trial lawyer, animal activist, and husband of a veterinarian."

Reread 10-18-12 (ASC:TMF); still cried.(less)

22 likes · like · see review

Aug 07, 2011 Jade Eby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements

The Good: Oh. My. Gawd. This book has some of THE most beautiful sentences ever written. The language was not just beautifully written but there were a few sentences I shivered with how much I felt while reading them. I love the simple sentiment of this sentence, "In a long relationship, there are just some night when you're more in love than others. Whatever it is, you realize that you not only love him, but you're proud to be with him." It...more Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements

The Good: Oh. My. Gawd. This book has some of THE most beautiful sentences ever written. The language was not just beautifully written but there were a few sentences I shivered with how much I felt while reading them. I love the simple sentiment of this sentence, "In a long relationship, there are just some night when you're more in love than others. Whatever it is, you realize that you not only love him, but you're proud to be with him." It's not a complex sentence, but it's simplicity stands out among the complexity of the scene it's in. I don't know why, I just loved seeing it there. I loved the way this book was written from Helena's perspective. It reminded me of Lovely Bones except Abramson did such a brilliant job of weaving Helena's observations, thoughts and opinions along with dialogue from the other characters. So it didn't feel like I was being talked AT or only getting a one-sided perspective. Abramson takes a lot of somber themes and makes the reader really think about them. This is the first novel I've read that made me wonder...what would it feel like for the person who died if they had to watch over us? We always focus on what the living feels like, how they should respond to grief or the mourning process. But what about the dead? Not just the broad questions of grieving and healing but how would someone who is dead feel watching their spouse pack away their clothing from the closet or witness a intimate kiss after they've moved on? Even further is to wonder how deeply the yearning for human interaction, intimacy and the senses would be. These are feelings Abramson attempts to rouse in readers during this novel.One of the biggest questions Abramson brings up is that of Animal Rights especially when it comes to primates. I have not read many novels with this as the main premise and I have to say it was very heartbreaking and eye opening.

The Bad: There is not much I can say about this novel that is negative. I genuinely thought it was a great novel. It was different than some of the other books I've raved about. It didn't have much "action" per say but it was more of a thinking novel. Sometimes I felt like Helena was narrating about things that really had no relevance to the novel and some could have been cut out. I also wish that Abramson would have fleshed out some of the characters a little more. I felt like he was just about to give us some more so that we REALLY knew them, but then never did.

Other than those few nit picky details, I enjoyed this novel immensely. Neil Abramson is a brilliant crafter of language and creates a vivid and remarkable story.

**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Sep 24, 2012 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Unsaid" is one of those books that stays with you long after you've turned the last page. It leaves you questioning when a life should be considered valuable.Are human beings the only ones entitled to a peaceful, pain free existence? How far should humans be allowed to go in testing animals in order to improve a human beings life?

Helena, the narrator, is a recently deceased Veterinarian. The author leaves it to the reader to determine why Helena is able to see her husband, friends and coworker...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 18, 2011 Michele Harrod rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wasn't quite what I expected. If you've ever had to put down a beloved pet, then there is redemption here for you. If you have ever not had the courage to end an animals suffering, then you may find it in here. Hopefully, if you still use your hard earned cash to buy ANY product from a large corporation who continues to engage in animal testing, you will rethink your options. But overall, it's chick-lit for animal lovers, and I am not a fan of chick-lit. If you are, you will love it. Perfect hus...more

15 likes · like · see review

Apr 09, 2011 Julie H. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

OMG, it's taken me almost two months to slog my way through this book. In fact, I actually took breaks from this book during which I read forensic thrillers, horror stories, and books that one might not normally consider emotionally "lighter" fare. Completing this book felt as though I'd finished some sort of emotional endurance contest. And just to be clear, if the plot of this book were some sort of contest, everyone loses in the end. This reminded me of one of Shakespeare's tragedies where th...more OMG, it's taken me almost two months to slog my way through this book. In fact, I actually took breaks from this book during which I read forensic thrillers, horror stories, and books that one might not normally consider emotionally "lighter" fare. Completing this book felt as though I'd finished some sort of emotional endurance contest. And just to be clear, if the plot of this book were some sort of contest, everyone loses in the end. This reminded me of one of Shakespeare's tragedies where the stage is littered with bodies at the end as some sort of lesson for the rest of us.

A fair-minded review would begin by saying that Unsaid is an especially tough read for animal lovers, anyone who has lost (or is just missing) a spouse, and even for those of us who are particularly mindful of the unintended but no less inexcusable effects of the so-called ape language experiments of the 1960s and 1970s. A candid review would say that "tough read" is a gross understatement. In fact, upon finally surviving the completion of this book I actually had to invent a Sniglet to sum it up: Abuthos. In other words, Abramson stoops to such heavy-handed depths in trying to elicit the reader's pathos for the animals in--and beyond--this book, that he literally emotionally abuses his reader. I literally feel emotionally bludgeoned by this work. More important, I worry that the quite unintended consequence of this could be turning people off to an otherwise valid animal rights message which the story might otherwise be spreading.

I truly wanted to like this book. I'm reasonably knowledgeable about the ethics of animal research, esp. as relates to my own discipline and its sketchy history vis a vis the ape language experiments of the 1960s and 1970s. I love animals, and throughout the entire course of my life every pet we've ever had has been a rescued animal. Moreover, a former colleague who is a well-respected primatologist served as Abramson's science consultant for the book. Quite honestly, had that not been the case, I'd never have finished it. If you are one of those people who "never cries" when reading a book, send me your address. I will mail you my copy. I defy you to read this book and not bawl your eyes out. And trust me, it doesn't really make you feel any better that your rescued cat is sitting on your chest watching the tears fall as she bats at the pages. This book is a downer and I find little with which to walk away feeling enlightened in any way.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 librarianh20 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-12-lariat

Complete boo-hoo festival. If animal-related tragedy makes you cry, shake your head vigorously if someone tries to offer you this book and if that doesn't work, kick them in the shins and run away.

That being said, I was touched by the book's insights into death and grieving, and I'll be pondering what it means to lose a pet for sometime to come. My cats are aging and I've started thinking a lot about what it will be like when they pass and how I will handle it.

David Colden-- NY lawyer, recent wi...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 01, 2011 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars

A lot of words were left UNSAID in this novel about human and non human person relationships. It was not just the chimpanzee who could not speak her words, but all the characters who had difficulty "saying the words" that could be understood by the listener ... the husband, his deceased wife (who told the story) the asperger's child,Cliffford, the dog, Skippy, the horse Arthur ... The allegories were very interesting and sometimes intense.

The story was lovely and I enjoyed reading and living wit...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 19, 2011 Kayeb rated it 5 of 5 stars

not a mystery......! however, it captured me. NOT just how we relate with animals, but with one another, touches on loss and mystery of interactions.

UNSAID is told from the perspective of Helena Colden, a veterinarian who has just died of breast cancer. Helena is forced to witness the rapid emotional deterioration of her husband David. With Helena's passing, David, a successful Manhattan attorney, loses the only connection that made his life full. He tries to carry on the life that Helena had c...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2013 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars

The animals that help make us human
“Unsaid” is at times as gut wrenching as it is lyrical. It’s often haunting and poignant. It’s a story about animals that sets out to offer us insight into what it is really that makes us human.

If you’re the sentimental type – someone easily moved to tears who cries while watching PBS – I imagine reading this book could be emotionally draining.

The story at first is compelling. In the temporal world Helena, at 37, was a veterinarian. After dying of cancer, she h...more The animals that help make us human
“Unsaid” is at times as gut wrenching as it is lyrical. It’s often haunting and poignant. It’s a story about animals that sets out to offer us insight into what it is really that makes us human.

If you’re the sentimental type – someone easily moved to tears who cries while watching PBS – I imagine reading this book could be emotionally draining.

The story at first is compelling. In the temporal world Helena, at 37, was a veterinarian. After dying of cancer, she haunts the present, watching from another level, as her husband tries to cope with her absence and the work and caring for animals that made up the life she left behind.

A monkey that can communicate, an obstinate horse named Arthur, the kitten Tiny Pete and a little black dog called Skippy. They are some of the creatures that take paddle through the story. Helpless to intervene, Helena watches as a chimpanzee named Cindy – who had been reared as part of a research project concerned with animal communication and cognition – is now threatened by being made the property of a federal biological experiment.

You might be able to see the challenges author Neil Abramson handed himself when he began writing the novel. With a barnyard full of cute creatures, the book has the potential to slip into melodrama and pathos. And with every animal and every new threat, the story does slide ever closer to the edge of believability.

The two-footed characters tend to be one-dimensional, serving a stock purpose for good or evil, the dialogue at times is wooden and the emotion too often maudlin. “And a lifetime ago, in the middle of a dark and nearly deserted road, a deer pleading for a quick and painless death brought David and me together.”

But for all the hurdles he faced, challenges he needed to write his way around and for all the aspects of the novel that might have been better, Abramson for the most part succeeds. In the end, he gives us a story that too often stalls but more often delivers.

In a word: Tail-wagging
(less)

like · see review

Apr 04, 2013 Julie Dargis rated it 4 of 5 stars

The version of "Unsaid" that I read had a picture of a dog on the cover that drew me in. And, although I am not an animal person, I bought the book. As a result of reading the book, I now understand how "man's best friend," and other animals, can positively impact our lives.

The story is told from the perspective of the deceased wife of a lawyer. After a battle with cancer, she left her husband and a hobby farm of animals behind. Unable to cross over, she fears that her husband will not be able t...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 08, 2013 Charlie Quimby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Look at the cover for the original hardcover edition and you'll see why I didn't notice UNSAID until the paperback came out. I admit it, the dog looks like mine, but the premise also appealed:

A dead veterinarian regrets that in her work she took as many lives as she saved and now watches as her mourning lawyer husband tries to cope with her loss and the house of animals she left behind. A former associate of hers appears, asking for legal to help save Cindy, a research chimpanzee trained to use

...more

like · see review

Mar 01, 2013 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

My wife is a sucker for books with dog characters and so I didn't know what to expect as I cracked the cover of Unsaid. It took two paragraphs and I couldn't put it down. Here, let's see if you can:

The opening paragraphs of Unsaid by Neil Abramson:

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, whoe...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 28, 2012 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Amy

Shelves: fiction

I picked this book up at the airport in Calgary expecting it be about the interaction dogs and humans, only to find that it is more about chimpanzees/horses/pigs and only a little bit about dogs and humans.

I found the premise shaky, but not without merit. It does convey the notion that communication is about much more than words and language. It also highlights that, though humans have the ability to speak, often, what we don't say has ramifications.

This book will be very popular with animal rig...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 25, 2012 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had a client give me a copy of this book and I read it, cover-to-cover, in two nights. I loved it. Let me preface with the fact that I am a small animal veterinarian, I spend much of my career consuling clients on how to "make that decision" and speaking, as best as I can, for those in my care. I have long thought that I am here to speak for the animals, and hopefully offer some improvement in our inter-species communications. We are all far to similar, and it always surprises me when people d...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 13, 2012 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

OK, I'm torn in 3 directions with Unsaid: First, being the, ahem, "rennaisance" kinda guy that I am, I was taken by the way Abramsom showed the emotions of the charactors and his care for animals. Also by the way he portrayed the love shown by the husband for his wife as well as the emotional rollar coaster the husband went through dealing with his wife's death. I liked that the book dealt with so many issues on so many levels.
Second, being the not quite so evolved guy that I am (sometimes), I...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 21, 2012 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book. If you are a fan of The Art of Racing in the Rain, this is a book for you. It made me laugh and cry...and sob. I fell in love with almost all of the characters and was quickly drawn into the story follows David, an attorney who is trying to deal with his devastation over the loss of his wife, Helena, to breast cancer and to navigate a new and unfamiliar world without her. Add to this weight, the menagerie of animals Helena has brought into their lives through her work as a veter...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 01, 2012 Gail rated it 3 of 5 stars

Examination of animal sentience is the focus of both the fictional tale, “Unsaid” by Neil Abramson, and the more technical text “Whale Songs and Wasp Maps – The Mystery of Animal Thinking” by Joseph Mortenson. “Unsaid” demonstrates the human-animal bond by describing the quirky personalities and interactions of the narrator’s companion animals and farm rescues (a sneaky pig and an obstinate horse). It also relates the court proceedings of a trial involving a scientific researcher and her ASL (Am...more

like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Frances Spaltro rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you have ever loved an animal, this book will likely move you. If you are weeper, have a new box of kleenex and be prepared to use it. I read this in a weekend and cried every third page or so. I'm a weeper. This book is about loss, grief, connection, and the bonds (with animals and even other people) that we cannot always articulate or justify or understand until the bonds have been dissolved. Narrated in first person by a veterinarian who's died but not yet passed on, it chronicles the afte...more

like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

For being called Unsaid, this novel did not leave much unspoken. The author had lots to say about death, loss, grief, trust, relationships, forgiveness...The book is about an attorney who has just lost his veterinarian wife to cancer. The wife is in a state of Lovely Bones suspension where her soul is trapped by unresolved business on earth. Her husband David is not only grief stricken, he is left with Helena's menagerie of animals to care for. The supreme complication of the story is that Helen...more

like · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Rebecca Holland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Neal Abramson's Unsaid, published by Center Street, ISBN 978-1-59995-409-7, first captured my attention by the cover - it is simple, black and has a dog on the front.

And then I read that Garth Stein, one of my favorite authors, recommended the book.

Upon opening the book, and getting a whiff of the newsprint - something that only a lover of all things written would understand - I was immediately transferred to the location where this novel began. And very seldom does that happen - it has to be a...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 19, 2011 Shaya rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: animal lovers who can handle reading about death and like books about trials

Shelves: animal-fiction, summer-fall-2011, realistic-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What I learned from this book: Don't read the reviews beforehand.

I was expecting an extremely emotional tale, maybe manipulative, maybe not, and lyrical, beautiful writing. Yes, it's sad. It's about a widower living after his wife dies. But I didn't find it to be THAT sad. I rarely cry over books and I didn't find the ending to be that sad because we'd been leading up to something like that for a long time. The writing is definitely well done but I wouldn't go as far as saying that I read any p...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 30, 2011 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. I you've ever lost someone (human or pet), this is a wonderful book taking a look at how the people and pets left behind deal with their loss. The book is mainly narrated by a woman who was a veterinarian that dies from losing her battle with breast cancer. Her spirit is still around the house where her husband who is a New York City attorney copes with her death and has their plethora of pets to take care of. It also gives insight as to what the animals are feeling with the l...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 21, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had the privilege of reading a galley of this book and was asked to blurb it. I only blurb books I like...and I really liked this one. Disturbing, yes. The whole concept of human use of animals for human benefit is frightening because it exists. No amount of 'this is just a story' takes away from the fact that modern research still uses primates. That said, the main story of a man in despair at the death of his wife, being watched over by that wife, is a lovely construct and tender without fal...more

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 09, 2011 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

What does it really mean to "communicate"? Do animals have "rights"? Can really intelligent ones be considered conscious beings? Author Neil Abramson takes these ideas and many more as the basis for this beautiful story.
Helena Colden, a veterinarian who lives in a rural area with her lawyer husband David not all that far from New York City, is the story's narrator. I don't want to say too much, but this book is, among other things, very spiritual. The way Mr. Abramson sets up and lets the story...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 27, 2011 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and highlighted many thought provoking quotes that resonated strongly with me. Highly recommend to all animal lovers. Author did a fabulous job of writing from the perspective of Helena.

"I wanted David to feel connected and be in the moment when he was with us instead of distracted by what he'd just left or where he needed to go next." p. 26 - A LESSON WE ALL NEED TO HEED!

"Perhaps that is was the problem - real actions have tangible, measurable consequences that can be...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 17, 2011 Anne Broyles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Without a doubt, the fact that one of my best friends died of cancer five days before this book arrived as one of my library orders, the reality that two other friends are probably in the end stages of their lives and the fact that I am a person who loves and appreciates animals influenced my feelings as I read UNSAID. So this tale narrated by Helena, a 37-year-old vet who has recently died really “got” me. Helena’s viewpoint allows us to watch parallel stories unfold (a technique she uses towar...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 06, 2011 Vicki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Neil Abramson has created a powerful and moving novel that drives home the enriching possibilities of the relationships among people and animals. The story is told by Helena, the beloved wife of David, a successful Manhattan attorney who is devastated by Helena's death from breast cancer at age 37. Helena is unable to move on to the next life because of the doubts and guilt she feels for things she has done to animals both as a researcher on animal subjects and as a veterinarian who has euthaniz...more Neil Abramson has created a powerful and moving novel that drives home the enriching possibilities of the relationships among people and animals. The story is told by Helena, the beloved wife of David, a successful Manhattan attorney who is devastated by Helena's death from breast cancer at age 37. Helena is unable to move on to the next life because of the doubts and guilt she feels for things she has done to animals both as a researcher on animal subjects and as a veterinarian who has euthanized so many suffering animals over the course of her career. Her fear is that she will be judged more harshly because of the suffering she has caused and that perhaps those creatures will be waiting to accuse her on the other side.

Helena is watching over David and is often very near him, but he is unaware of her nearness. Because of Helena's love of animals, the couple's home is in a rural area outside the city. Two horses and a pig dwell in the barn, three dogs and several cats live in the house. Most of the animals are "special needs"-type pets, and David has no natural skills at giving them care; his overwhelming grief prevents him from focusing on his job, his personal care or hygiene, much less the animals.

Helena is also aware of the veterinary practice she shared with Dr. Joshua Marks. Observing the activities and hearing the conversations that occur there, she is reminded of the heartaches that Dr. Marks has in his past as well. She is filled with sadness to hear him reveal that he is strongly considering closing the practice since Helena is gone.

Sally Hanson, a vet tech Helena is acquainted with, unexpectedly loses her job with another vet in the area because of a disruption in the office that involves her young son. Clifford has Asperger's syndrome, meaning he can't read non-verbal cues from others and does not stay involved in verbal communication long enough to have conversations with other people. However, he is extraordinarily tuned in to the feelings of animals. He enters the operating room at the vet office during surgery because he is drawn to the aging dog on the table. Sally directs her anger at the vet when he grabs Cliff's arm to throw him out of the surgical room, thus giving the doctor the opening to fire her on the spot.

Helena is also mindful of her college research partner Jane Cassidy and the work she is currently doing in linguistics with chimpanzees, using American Sign Language and interstitial linguistic programming to allow the chimpanzee to communicate at a higher level using a computer to supplement the ASL. Special gloves adapted to the chimpanzee hand allow the animal to make clear the meaning that they may be trying to sign. Because of the physiological differences in the human and chimpanzee hands, the signs do not always look the same, but the specially programmed gloves compensate for the differences and communicate the intended meaning through the computer. We learn the difference in unspoken and unsaid, which is non-verbal communication of sentient beings who are unable to speak. Jane's work with Cindy, the 4 year old chimpanzee is in danger of being cancelled, leaving Cindy's future uncertain...likely to involve research that could infect her with disease and no doubt inflict much pain in the process. Jane's anxiety about Cindy is reaching a breaking point as Helena looks helplessly on.

Crises in the the separate worlds of each of these people who all mean so much to Helena bring them together in unexpected ways. The animals in their lives play important roles in demonstrating the unselfish love we all would do well to emulate. This story is powerful and has a real emotional impact, whether you are an animal lover or not. Abramson has done a masterful job of presenting well-developed characters who have known deep pain and disappointment, but learn to focus on hope for a better future.

A terrific and heart warming read, and totally worth your time, in my humble opinion... (less)

1 like · like · see review

May 29, 2011 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-star, pleasure-reading, work-review-related-reading

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 fin...more

11 likes · like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Dale Harcombe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four a a half stars. Unsaid is a poignant and haunting read. In the hands of a less skilful author this could have denigrated into blatant propaganda for animal rights. That it did not is due to the multi layered story of David, an attorney devastated by the loss of Helena his veterinarian wife who recently died of breast cancer, Joshua a vet trying to escape his own guilt for actions in his past and Jaycee a scientist who has raised Cindy a chimpanzee who she claims has the capacity for thought...more

like · see review

Dec 16, 2011 L-J Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Because the book I read before this one was a bit of a chore, I was in need of something that would relax the reading muscles; be accessible, but totally engaging. I surely selected the right novel. There is some very fine writing in this book that elevated it, but really it's a great big old weepie about love, loss, life, death and our hairy, furry, feathered and scaly little friends. There's this dead woman telling the story, see, and her widowed husband is very sad, and then there's their fri...more Because the book I read before this one was a bit of a chore, I was in need of something that would relax the reading muscles; be accessible, but totally engaging. I surely selected the right novel. There is some very fine writing in this book that elevated it, but really it's a great big old weepie about love, loss, life, death and our hairy, furry, feathered and scaly little friends. There's this dead woman telling the story, see, and her widowed husband is very sad, and then there's their friend with the dead little son and the wife who left him, and his friend with the disabled son whose husband was killed in Iraq or somewhere, and their other friend trying to save the intelligent, like-a-baby-to-her chimp that she was doing a research project on, and this horribly disfigured teen who saves stray animals (no lie!!), and the dead woman's very sad and lonely and dying pets. There's Evil Lawyers and Good Lawyers and a juicy, dramatic trial, and Science Run Amuck (R.I.P Michael Crichton) and the disabled boy can kind of channel the various dead people and animals. I cried several times, including this morning over breakfast right into my English muffin with port wine jelly (deeeeeee-lish!), huge drops o'tears just falling off of my face. This book made me miss my dear departed wittoo snuggle lump Gussy, and spend an evening holding hands with my husband, and come up behind my daughters and attack hug them for no apparent reason, because life is just too damn short, you know, and damn it, you never know what might happen in this vale of tears called human existence. It also made me really really really want a dog again which I mentioned several hundred times to Roger over the course of the 2 days I read this book, to which he replied: no, honey. no. no dog right now. maybe when I retire. (Roger's projected retirement date: the 12th of Never, 2168.) Something very terrible happens at the end (unlike all of the cheerful stuff earlier in the book?, you ask), but then's there's this lovely heartwarming coda that's still kind of really sad, but it was all perfect for me for this time of year when George Bailey realizes yes, damn it, I did make a difference and this sure is a wonderful life, and misfit toys find homes with big-eyed, large-headed children, and formerly mean green things carve the roast beast, and GOD BLESS US EVERYONE! (waving wee little crutch optional)(less)

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Meriden Library B...: Read it...loved it!	2	9	Sep 03, 2012 04:43pm

combine
Other Editions (8)

More editions...

Videos About This Book

1 comment

Genres

Animals

26 users

Book Club

8 users

Adult Fiction

8 users

Animals > Dogs

7 users

Drama

4 users

Novels

3 users

Animals > Animal Fiction

3 users

Death

3 users

Contemporary

2 users

Literature

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Neil Abramson

Neil Abramson is a partner in a Manhattan law firm, and his wife is a veterinarian. Abramson is also a past board member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, an award recipient from the ASPCA for his legal work on behalf of animals, and a founding member of the New York City Bar Association Committee on Legal Issues Relating to Animals.

Like Neil on Facebook.

More about Neil Abramson...

Books by Neil Abramson

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Unsaid

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Unsaid

“Sometimes events that lead us bereft of anything but grief just happen for no reason other than happenstance--a car turns left instead of right, a train is missed, a call comes too late--and the real test of our humanness is whether, in light of that knowledge, we are ever able to recover. When we again find our way despite the inability to manufacture a deeper meaning in our suffering, that I think is when God smiles upon us, proud of the strength of his creation.” — 8 people liked it

“Pain explains a great deal of human conduct, but the fear of pain even more.” — 6 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Unsaid
avg rating	preview: Unsaid Goodreads rating: 3.96 (2187 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9628203-unsaid?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1303398829l/9628203.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9628203-unsaid?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Unsaid by Neil Abramson[/url]

Unsaid

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website