Indie Book of the Week: The Things They Didn't Bury by Laekan Zea Kemp

It has been a while since I have done this meme, too long. This week I am so excited to be bringing you another great read by a very talented author. 

This book took me completely by surprise with how well it was written, how emotional it was and just how good of a story it turned out to be. There were so many twists and turns along the way that I just didn't see coming. 

This truly is a unique read.

Title: The Things They Didn't Bury
Author: Laekan Zea Kemp
Published: Dec. 31, 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary/Historic

Book Description:
The war took everything. Except the truth. When Liliana and her family move back to Argentina after seeking refuge in the States during La Guerra Sucia, a lifetime's worth of wondering comes to a head, reigniting the search for what really happened to her mother, one of the thousands of los desaparecidos—the disappeared.

With the help of a young Flamenco player who saw the atrocities committed by the military firsthand, Liliana not only makes the devastating discovery of what really happened to her mother but by forcing open the country's old wounds as well as her own she also learns a disturbing truth about her origins that will reconstruct the lives of the people she loves most.

Seamlessly alternating between the voices of mother and daughter—one trying to survive the rising chaos of The Dirty War and the other sifting through its aftermath, The Things They Didn’t Bury is a novel about forbidden love and family secrets.

Gripping, heartbreaking and lyrical this is not a story about war or about the secrets still buried beneath its wreckage but it is a story about the things they didn't bury, intangible and infinite—love, truth, and family.

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About the Author:
Laekan is a writer, explorer extraordinaire, and recent transplant to sunny Florida. She grew up in the flatlands of west Texas and graduated from Texas Tech with a BA in Creative Writing. Follow her adventures here on Goodreads, on her blog, or on twitter.


My Thoughts and Review:

This novel is so much more than a love story. It is a story about a young woman on a quest to discover who her mother really was and what became of her. It isn't just her story though, it is the story of a country torn apart by war and hate and story of two young people destined to fall in love in a time when their love for one another was forbidden and would ultimately lead to their deaths.

Oh my goodness I really loved this story. There was so much depth to it. The anger, prejudice and hate of a few people and the chaos those emotions reaped on not just a city but a whole nation. It was truly horrific and heart wrenching. 

So much history was shared here. It was raw and gritty and truly amazing that love could survive and withstand so much. That love between two people could be so beautiful in a world full of so much ugliness. 

I don't want to go into specifics about this read because it truly is just one that you are going to have to take my word for it and just read for yourself to truly experience it all. 

This isn't a happy ever after story. It is real and harsh at times but also filled with hope. So much hope and healing.

The author did an amazing job with this. I felt the character's pain and not only their emotions but the emotions of the whole world at this time. It was touching and eye opening and something that I won't be forgetting any time soon.

I give this one 4.5 Stars!