Unsaid by Neil Abramson

Unsaid is an extraordinary story of animal, mortality and power of love. The story is told from the point of view of Helena Colden, who has recently died of cancer. Helena was a veterinarian and had mercifully escorted thousands of animals to the other side. Now, having died herself, she finds that it is not so easy to move on. She is terrified that her 37 years of life were meaningless, error-ridden, and forgettable. So Helena haunts -- and is haunted by -- the life she left behind. Meanwhile, David, her shattered attorney husband, struggles with grief and the demands of caring for her houseful of damaged and beloved animals. But it is her absence from her last project, Cindy -- a chimpanzee who may unlock the mystery of communication and consciousness -- that will have the greatest impact on all of them.