“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
“Neil Abramson has written a powerful and imaginative novel. His insights into the animal kingdom touched my heart. My book club will love it.”
—Meredith Brokaw, creator and coauthor of the Penny Whistle books and
Big Sky Cooking
“Abramson delivers a touching and dramatic story that is sure to please animal lovers… [A] solid story of loss and love.”
—
Library Journal
“Enjoyed it thoroughly.”
—Jeffrey Masson, author of
When Elephants Weep
“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 Pepperberg, author of
Alex and Me
“A remarkable book.”
—Susan Wilson, author of
One Good Dog
and
The Fortune Teller’s Daughter
“UNSAID, a new novel by Neil Abramson, movingly explores the ways in which animals—including a chimpanzee, Cindy, who communicates with sign language—impact the lives of the humans who care for and about them.”
—Michelle Sherrow, blog writer, PETA Foundation
“This moving and riveting novel beautifully expresses the transforming power of the human–animal relationship. Read it if you share your life with an animal, but more importantly, read it if you haven’t.”
—Gene Baur, president and cofounder of Farm Sanctuary, and author of
Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food
“A suspenseful, heart-throbbing novel exploring the big questions of life, death, sentience, animal rights, compassion, righteous indignation, and what it is all about and why. The surprise twists are like an emotional roller coaster. Read it, weep, grab your chair, and gain insights into the big why!”
—Allen M. Schoen, DVM, veterinarian and author of
Kindred Spirits: How the Remarkable Bond between Humans and Animals Can Change the Way We Live
“In this unique and moving novel, Neil Abramson shows just how strong our relationships with other animals can be, and how we can learn so much from our animal kin, about their needs, their emotions, and respect, dignity, and love. I was continually moved as I read UNSAID and reflected on its important messages about just how important other animals are to us, and encourage you to read this intriguing book and share it widely.”
—Marc Bekoff, author of
The Emotional Lives of Animals, Animals Matter, Wild Justice,
and
The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint
“A remarkable book, uncanny in that its narrator is recently deceased, but vivid in its development of believable and complex characters, both human and nonhuman. The author embeds in the story important aspects of current controversies over the extent of animal capacities as well as a keen sense of the value of animal lives.”
—Susan J. Armstrong, professor emerita, Humboldt State University, and coeditor of
The Animal Ethics Reader
“Upton Sinclair’s
The Jungle
, a novel about animal slaughter and the men who perform it, exerted a powerful influence on a much earlier generation. May I hope that Neil Abramson’s novel, UNSAID, will have a similar effect on present-day readers and help us understand that animals need us as much as we need them. A riveting tale!”
—George K. Russell, professor of biology, Adelphi University, and senior editor of
Orion
magazine
“UNSAID says it all in a lyrical story about humanity’s journey from betrayal to reconciliation with our animal kin. A beautiful, wrenching testimony.”
—G.A. Bradshaw, director and founder, The Kerulos Center, and author of
Elephants on the Edge: What Animals Teach Us About Humanity
“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) makes for utterly compelling stories that drive this story and weave all of these characters together in an unexpected way.”
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by Neil Abramson
Afterword Copyright © 2012 by Neil Abramson
Reading Group Guide Copyright © 2012 by Neil Abramson
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Second e-book edition: June 2012
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ISBN 978-1-609-41905-9