384 pages Expected publication: October 8th 2019 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
I was fortunate enough to gain access to this story via Edelweiss and the publisher, but I first had this book on my radar via Twitter. I thought, how oh how can I beg for an arc of this book? Luckily, Edelweiss got it soon after, and I gobbled it up. To say that this book was amazing, wonderful, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, etc. is an understatement. THE STORY THAT CANNOT BE TOLD took me through a time in history that I was not well educated on and wove together fairy-tales and a heroine up against some very real antagonists.
This story follows Ileana, who is a story-teller at heart. She lives in Bucharest with her mother and father. After a vital mistake, Ileana finds herself being sent away to live with grandparents whom she’s never met and hopefully far away from spies who may be watching her family. With an uncle who may be publishing illegal works, her parents think it best to protect their daughter, but Ileana does not immediately take to life at her grandparent’s small village. Surrounded by the unfamiliar, she relies on her stories to guide through the very real threat of communist Romania. With heart and strength, she grows to love, forgive, and fight with all she has.
This book is masterfully written and takes you through reimaginings of Romanian folklore that mirrors the real-life world around Ileana as she struggles to find her place in her new life and forgive those closest to her. Her voice was so strong and at times, so very grown up for how young she was. But this book is about big decisions and learning to accept those decisions. This is a big book with a big heart. It’s a story about a girl growing up in the shadow of war and illustrates the raw beauty of childhood.
The character development was well done, and I particularly enjoyed the chapters of folktales. The story itself is one I have never come across before, and maybe others will agree with me as more reviews pour in, that this book should not be missed.
Books like this are so rare and I am so honored to be one of the first to review it. My pre-order is in. This is one for bookshelf.
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