Unsaid: A Novel - Hardcover

Abramson, Neil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1599954095 ISBN 13: 9781599954097

Publisher: Center Street, 2012

Synopsis

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 created for them, but he is too grief stricken, too angry, and too quickly reabsorbed into the demands of his career. Helena's animals likewise struggle with the loss of their understanding and compassionate human companion. Because of Helena, David becomes involved in a court case to save the life of a chimpanzee that may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of animal consciousness. Through this case all the threads of Helena's life entwine and explode - unexpectedly, painfully, beautifully.

About this title

Review:

Rarely has a novel captured so movingly the deep bonds between people and the animals that share their lives. Veterinarian Helena Colden has died of breast cancer, but she still watches over her shattered attorney husband and their menagerie-dogs, cats, horses, and a pig, all with personalities as distinct as their human companions. Helena, who narrates, remains guilt-ridden over the unresolved fate of a research chimp that communicates at the level of a 4-year-old child. How each of these vivid characters finds a way to let go and move on is at the heart of this entrancing tale.--Parade Magazine

Abramson delivers a touching and dramatic story that is sure to please animal lovers. Though the heavy emphasis on animal rights becomes repetitive, overall this is a solid story of loss and love.--Library Journal Review

UNSAID is a poignant, heart-felt story of love, loss and forgiveness.... UNSAID will make you cry, but, more important, it will make you contemplate the human relationship to animals, both domestic and wild. A wonderful book for animal lovers, those who like a good courtroom drama, and anyone interested in human/animal communication.--Ellen Burns, Books on the Common

This is a story about love, healing, and, even more compellingly, animal rights. The work that Helena and Jaycee did with Charlie and Cindy (both chimpanzees) make for utterly compelling stories that drive this story and weave all of these characters together in an unexpected way.--FreshFiction.com

"An extraordinary story of animals, mortality, and the power of love. Everyone needs to read this novel!"--Garth Stein, author of the International Bestseller The Art of Racing in the Rain

"UNSAID will really make you think about the relationship between people and animals. I was not able to put it down, and I read parts of it twice."--Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human

"touching and emotional"--Publishers Weekly

"Enjoyed it thoroughly."--Jeffrey Masson, author of When Elephants Weep

..".a remarkable book."--Susan Wilson, author of One Good Dog and The Fortune Teller's Daughter

"A poignant read on the meaning of life and its priorities--how death and despair can lead to renewal and life, but only if one realizes the interconnectedness of all creatures."--Irene M. Pepperberg, author of Alex and Me

Book Description:

When veterinarian Helena Colden dies, her need for closure forces her to confront what it really means to be 'human' as she observes her shattered husband struggling to care for her menagerie of animals and save the life of her last project - a chimpanzee she helped teach to communicate.

About this edition

• Publisher: Center Street
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1599954095
• ISBN 13: 9781599954097
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368