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The Story That Cannot Be Told is an American middle-grade historical fiction novel set in Communist Romania and drawing from Romanian folklore. Published by Simon & Schuster in October of 2019, it is J. Kasper Kramer's debut novel.

Plot Summary
Illeana is a 10 year old girl living in Bucharest with her mother and father in the summer of 1989. Named for a Romanian folk-tale, Illeana is a dedicated storyteller who records her life's work in a notebook called The Great Tome, inspired by the work of her poet uncle, Andrei, and her father's work as a professor of literature. The family endures black outs the constant threat of surveillance from a government network of civilian informants called the Securitate. Illeana's father learns that Uncle Andrei is presumed killed by the due to his insurrectionist poetry and fears for his daughter's safety. A few days later, Illeana allows an agent dressed as an electrician to bug her family's apartment. The next evening, Illeana tells her father an offensive story about "the Leader." Illeana's father grows upset, revealing her mother helped to publish Uncle Andrei's poems and destroying The Great Tome, betraying Illeana's trust.

The next day, Illeana discovers the bugs and informs her parents. Certain they will be punished for the secrets shared the night before, her parents send Illeana to her maternal grandparents, Mamaie and Tataie, in the rural mountain village her mother ran away from as a teenager. After several days of culture shock, Illeana begins to adapt to village life. She meets Sanda, the veterinarian, and her shy daughter Gabi. After a failed attempt to befriend the village children, Mamaie tells Illeana a story of her mother: she once followed Old Constanta, the village's oldest female resident and alleged witch, as she hiked to a monastery at the top of the mountain.

One afternoon, Illeana discovers a basket and boot tracks outside the abandoned church. Within, she finds a wounded and drunken Uncle Andrei. Delirious from captivity, he does not recognize his niece and swears at her to leave. Illeana later returns with food and proves her identity by reciting one of his poems. His condition worsens and Illeana seeks help from her grandparents and Sanda. Sanda brings Gabi with her to the cottage during house calls: Gabi and Illeana become close friends.

As Uncle Andrei recovers, Illeana and Gabi sneak away one night and overhear a story about "The White Wolf". Illeana returns home to a furiously worried family and shares what she overheard: Tataie tells Illeana that the story of the White Wolf is one that cannot be told. That night, Illeana dreams Uncle Andrei leaves her a gift before disappearing. Illeana runs into the rain after him and comes down with a fever. After the fever breaks Illeana realizes the gift was real, discovering papers hidden beneath her bed. It is her uncle's revolutionary poetic manifesto, signed with the names of fellow revolutionaries including her grandparents. Later, a Securitate agent arrives looking for "his friend" who matches Uncle Andrei's description.

In October the villagers celebrate the harvest with a communal feast: the Securitate and his two reinforcements violently disrupt the festivities. Soon after a troop of Land Forces soldiers invade, informing the residents they will be forcefully relocated and their homes destroyed. As soldiers swam the village, Illeana and Gabi attempt to strategize. When a soldier stops Illeana on the street, she panics and runs into Old Constanta's home. Within, Old Constanta tells her the full story of the White Wolf and explains its secrecy: the story is a code to warn one another of future dangers.

Gabi and Illeana continue to stockpile weapons and practice fighting. Tataie reveals that the monastery at the top of the mountain was once a stronghold for resisters against the state: Old Constanta and later, Illeana's mother, would hike to the monastery with messages and supplies. Illeana's father arrives during a snowstorm. He asks if she knows anything of Uncle Andrei's manifesto: the Securitate has promised their family will be safe in exchange for information. Furious and betrayed, Illeana refuses to admit its whereabouts and locks him out of the house.

The soldiers having bulldozed most of the village, Illeana and her family are some of the last villagers alongside Sanda, Gabi and Old Constanta. They gather in Sanda's home to listen to the radio and learn of armed revolutions in Bucharest. The house is broken into by soldiers who demand Uncle Andrei's manifesto. Gabi feigns sickness; she and Illeana are escorted to her house by a soldier and Illeana escapes. Running back to her cottage, Illeana grabs the manifesto and hikes towards the monastery where Uncle Andrei and her father are being held. Old Constanta appears and helps Illeana find her way, before disappearing at the top of the mountain.

Within, Illeana finds her father and Uncle Andrei imprisoned; she barters with the soldiers by threatening to burn the manifesto and insists on telling the story of the White Wolf, the story that cannot be told, as she buys time. Behind the soldiers, she sees a massive white wolf enter the room. At the end of her story the wolves lunge, revealing themselves to be fellow villagers; the resisters reclaim control of the monastery and village below. Illeana reunites with her mother and father, her grandparents reunite with their long-lost daughter, and the villagers gather to watch televised coverage of the Leader's downfall. Illeana's family and friends ask her to recount the whole story; Mamaie informs Illeana she could not have followed Old Constanta up the mountain, as the woman had died the night before.

Finally, Illeana and her parents return to Bucharest with promises to return to the village to help rebuild in the spring. Illeana's father reveals he kept part of her Great Tome: the two reconcile, and Illeana listens to her father tell her the revised story of her namesake, Cunning Illeana.

The narrative is interspersed with Illeana's retellings of her folk-tale namesake and stories from her family's past. "The True Story" details her mother's escape from the village and an arranged marriage as a 17 year old; "Tataie's Three Coins" tells of her grandfather's complicity in Romania's mass Jewish executions during World War II; "Mamaie and the Evil Box" describes a young Mamaie's complex relationship with a Roma woman and a curse box, and "The End of Adventures" recounts Illeana and her father's risky evenings spent watching black market American films in an apartment belonging to one of his students.

Major Characters
Illeana - a young girl and passionate storyteller, Illeana has brown hair and an excellent imagination. She loves to write stories but insists on changing the ending each time. Although she can be emotional and impulsive, Illeana is courageous and fiercely loyal. She has a strong sense of justice and cannot abide cowardice.

Lucian - Illeana's father, a professor of literature and composition in Bucharest. Lucian loves stories but could never write them, instead preferring to read and help critique his daughter's work. He is pragmatic and deeply devoted to his family.

Liza - Illeana's mother, who ran away from her village as a teenager to escape an unwanted marriage and ideally become a singer. Liza is beautiful, headstrong and brave, having supplied resources to resisters as a teenager and later helped to publish her brother-in-law's poems.

Uncle Andrei - Lucian's brother, Uncle Andrei previously worked for the newspaper but soon tired of writing fake government puff-pieces. He began drinking heavily and publishing inflammatory works overseas before being captured by the state. He is wry, sardonic and a recovering drunkard.

Mamaie - Doina, known as Mamaie, is Illeana's maternal grandmother. Mamaie is clever, caring, and a highly skilled embroiderer and weaver. She is highly superstitious, perhaps owing to her past connection with a young Roma woman, and often fusses over whether Illeana and Tataie's actions connote good or bad luck.

Tataie - Illeana's paternal grandfather, Tataie is a soft-spoken and hardworking man. A veteran of WWII, he arrived in the village after taking part in the Jewish Exile and was surprised to marry the younger and lovely Mamaie after a long courtship.

Gabi - Gabriella, known as Gabi, is Sanda's daughter and Illeana's best friend. Initially shy and silent, she has thick, dark hair and a metallic leg brace. Having been bullied by the village children, Gabi learned to hock loogies and was thus dubbed "The Spitter." She is insightful, intelligent and a very fast runner.

Sanda - Gabi's mother and the village veterinarian. A widow, she is usually kind and sociable but can be scornful when prompted. She helped to treat Uncle Andrei, potentially forming a romantic connection in the process.

Critical reception

 * Publishers Weekly
 * Kirkus Reviews
 * School Library Journal
 * San Francisco Chronicle
 * The Rumpus