Unspoken

by Tammy Ottenbreit

Everyone has their own story, don’t they? It’s what makes us who we are. The lives of four women form a bridge across time in the story of their desires, their choices, their families: Anna wants a better life for her children. Claire wants a connection with her absent father. Sister Maria wants to honour God through service. And Annie? Annie just wants to be heard. A poignant story of family discovery—and the impact of the past.

282 pages, Perfect Paperback

Published September 1, 2023

Reviews

[Noreen Machelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, poignant story. It had me riveted from beginning to end. I love how everything came together in the end. The pace with which it unfolded was perfect.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written first novel by Tammy Ottenbreit. She has skillfully interwoven the story of four women. The prologue with Sister Maria plunges the reader into mysterious circumstances surrounding a birth in 1922. Then the story proceeds into the present day with Claire who is about to have her DNA tested. The past and present pass seamlessly back and forth. There is Anna and her family who cross the Atlantic, leaving tumultuous Hungary for the hope of a better future in Canada. Her daughter Annie, who is deaf, is forced to deal with the challenges in the world around her.
I loved this book. I felt that I could trust Tammy as she took me on this often sad but tender journey where the women were gentle and kind.

Epilogue
I heard of this book through my sister. Her son is dating a woman who knows the author. I learned that Tammy was a medical laboratory technologist which I am too. As I like to write in my spare time and have this dream to be published one day, I was interested in reading this book by a woman who made the leap from science to the creative arts.

After coming to the final page where she wrote her acknowledgements, there was her bio and picture. She looked familiar to me. I went to my photo album and found pictures that I took of our graduating class as well as the list of graduates. There she was.

“Everyone has their own story, don’t they? It’s what makes us who we are.”
So true.

[Linn Goss]

Congrats to Tammy Ottenbreit on her nomination for the 2024 High Plains Book Awards.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this very much. The Horvath family's, (especially little Annie's), struggles had me in tears more than once. I found the genealogy search intriguing and well done. My story is similar as I discovered at 24 that the man I thought was my father was actually my step father. I spent a lot of years trying to learn who my biological father was. (Luckily, I was able to meet him before he died.)

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book! The character development and description of the characters, with the interwoven reactions and emotions kept me riveted all the way through. It really portrays much of what canada was like in the early settlement by immigrants, with the large numbers that died, especially in child birth. I have gone and seen the cemetery where my family settled in eastern Ontario, and the huge number of children who died is appalling! This is a well done first book!

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compelling story touching on several real and tragic circumstances that impacted the lives of the people settling in the Canadian Western provinces in the first half of the 20th century. The author has handled these issues with honesty and has me looking forward to reading her next novel.

[Lori Flaman-Drumm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It spoke to me as my grandparents immigrated from Austria around the same time period. The bravery of the Horvath family, and many other immigrant families of the time, shone through.

[Angeline Hochban · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tragic story about family history and struggle! The writing was so engaging, I found myself unable to put it down, despite all the traumatic events that occur. I look forward to seeing what the author does next!

[Kyla Palin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely read, and reminded me of reading Little House on the Prairie as a child, just more modern and Canadian! Reading a story woven with kernels of family truths was a unique experience. When’s novel #2 coming out? :)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole time I was reading this book, I thought it was a true story .... that's how compelling it was.
I read the book for my local library bookclub as one of our group knows the author (a local). I anticipate a good group discussion.

[Janelle Dufour · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story told in Unspoken is heartbreaking and brave. I couldn’t put it down and my only regret is that there wasn’t more of it.

[Mary Spurr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this novel—there are so few books written that are placed in the prairies. I did buy three for Christmas presents.