The Silent Unseen
A Novel of World War II
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A mesmerizing historical novel of suspense and intrigue about a teenage girl who risks everything to save her missing brother.
Poland, July 1944. Sixteen-year-old Maria is making her way home after years of forced labor in Nazi Germany, only to find her village destroyed and her parents killed in a war between the Polish Resistance and Ukrainian nationalists. To Maria’s shock, the local Resistance unit is commanded by her older brother, Tomek—who she thought was dead. He is now a “Silent Unseen,” a special-operations agent with an audacious plan to resist a new and even more dangerous enemy sweeping in from the East.
When Tomek disappears, Maria is determined to find him, but the only person who might be able to help is a young Ukrainian prisoner and the last person Maria trusts—even as she feels a growing connection to him that she can’t resist.
Tightly woven, relentlessly intense, The Silent Unseen depicts an explosive entanglement of loyalty, lies, and love during wartime, from Amanda McCrina, the acclaimed author of Traitor, a debut hailed by Elizabeth Wein as “Alive with detail and vivid with insight . . . a piercing and bittersweet story.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Employing two alternating voices, McCrina returns with an engrossing tale of WWII, set in the same territory and time period—and with similarly life-and-death stakes—as 2020's Traitor. In the summer of 1944, Soviet forces are just entering long-contested Galicia—a region also claimed by Polish and Ukrainian nationals—in the wake of the ousted German army. Maria Kamin´ska, 16 and Polish, has recently escaped from doing forced labor at a German factory. Kostyantyn "Kostya" Lasko, 17 and Ukrainian, has spent the past few years working as an unwilling courier for a nationalist paramilitary group. Thrown together in the aftermath of a violent incident (most of the novel's horrors happen just off the page), the cued-white teens form an alliance that endures—often uneasily— as the story ricochets between threats, betrayals, and occasional glimmers of altruism and romance. A central plot element is set in motion as Maria works to rescue a member of the Silent Unseen, a group of special operations agents trained in England and clandestinely returned to the region. Though a single reading may not clearly reveal the rapid-fire, twisty plot's many secrets, absorbing its suspense and vividly wrought emotional arc doesn't require an immediate grasp of every last detail. Back matter includes an author's note. Ages 12–up.
Customer Reviews
A quick but confusing read
The Silent Unseen depicts a historical time that is not often the focus of other World War II novels, which hooked me in. Set in Poland in 1944, Maria begins her journey home after years spent in a labor camp in Germany; however, she soon tragically discovers that her family has been killed but her brother Tomek, who she previously presumed dead, is in fact alive. Her reunion with Tomek is short-lived as he goes missing. Partnering with the enemy, Kostya, a Ukrainian prisoner, Maria sets off to find her brother, hopefully alive.
As a lover of World War II historical fiction, The Silent Unseen taps into a part of that history that I wasn't as familiar with - the Polish Resistance and Ukranian Nationalists. While quick-paced, I found myself often confused between the jumps between chapters - it seems like time had passed but you weren't privy to the details. I also was confused by the various groups they introduced: the UPA, Resistance, NKVD but then realized there was an appendix at the end that served as a glossary; I thought that could've more been helpful at the beginning to set the stage.
I also love novels that feature a bit of romance but this fell a bit flat for me; I didn't really buy the chemistry between the two MCs, Maria and Kostya. While I don't typically enjoy a slow burn, I did feel like these two love interests deserved a bit more time to add believability to their relationship. Overall, I found the plot too rushed and the ending a bit abrupt.
Thank you Bookish First and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for free copy in advance for my honest review.