The acclaimed debut novel by the author of Little Fires Everywhere. “A taut tale of ever deepening and quickening suspense.” —O, the Oprah Magazine“Explosive . . . Both a propulsive mystery and a profound examination of a mixed-race family.” —Entertainment Weekly“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town … exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.
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This is the second Celeste Ng book I’ve read and I’d say I enjoyed ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ better. Both are about dysfunctional suburban families with race and sexism as central topics. ‘Everything’ is absolutely tragic but still ends with hope. All the characters are likable and you can understand where they come from, even if you don’t agree with their decisions. These dysfunctional family books just fill me with fear about how we purposefully and accidentally shape our children, for better or worse. They help me re-focus on just loving my children and guiding them to do the things they love and to be good humans.
Loved the family dynamics in this book and the way the past foreshadowed the present and future. The narrative was well-plotted and the story competently told.
Interesting read.
Very informative and is going to be a good book club choice. It gives a lot to think about and I think the girls are going to have a lot of different opinions. Only down side is that it is depressing.
Outstanding character building!
A poignant debut from a brilliant author.
Truly one of my favorite books I’ve read recently. I couldn’t put it down – read it in one sitting. Since its not particularly action-packed (its a very introspective novel) this is a testament to Ng’s compelling characters.
Love this book. Great book for discussion. How well do you communicate?
This introduced me to Celeste Ng whose second book, Little Fires Everywhere is one of the best I ever read. This was nearly as good. How lucky to have this writer around.
Predictable.
Enjoyed her writing style & how she describes details.
I read this after reading (and loving) Ng’s more recent novel, (Little Fires Everywhere) and this does not disappoint. Hard to read in some ways, starting with the tragic death of a young girl, and the gradual revelation of the destructive family dynamics that lead to and follow this event. But Ng is so perceptive, writes about human failings so successfully, with a omnipresent narrator’s voice that move smoothly from one character to the next. Racism also a big theme here, with the discrimination faced by the children of a mixed-race marriage in 1970’s Ohio – mixed race here being Chinese American and white – a topic not well covered in literature.
This is neither a page-turner nor is it a book turn-away. It’s something to read that has characters you get, but there’s no real complexity to them. Some of the story line is pretty predictable, but it has a few moments of connection that allow you to keep reading it. When you finish, you’ll think, “Okay! What am I going to read next?” You won’t have to sit and mull it over or take a day to process the story.
Just absolutely heart-breakingly wonderful.
A beautifully evocative mystery wrapped within a family drama where every character is treated with a depth of compassion and empathy that makes the conflict – and the tragedy — both inevitable and heartbreaking. An exploration of the racism and sexism of the sixties and seventies and the deep repercussions felt in the following generations the novel is, ultimately, a treatise on the power of hope and kindness to prevail.
This was my second book by Celeste Ng and I enjoyed even more than the other. The characters were complex and relatable. I felt the writing was smooth and the story explored an all too common situation in today’s family life.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. The author has a way of delving into the dynamics of familial relationships that really makes you empathize with the characters and become invested in their lives.
This was the most depressing book I have read in a long time.
I’d describe this book in many different ways. Creepy. Sad. Haunting. The characters move like quiet ghosts through the story. I was angry and frustrated that the kids had no adults on their side. The story is also: beautiful. Gorgeously written. Insightful. It’s a powerful book about race, being American, and how challenging it is to live in the suburbs when you feel like a failure, as if you don’t fit in. There’s a spark of hope at the end that burned brighter due to the darkness that precedes it, and it was brilliant.
One of those novels whose characters and story line stay with you long after the last page.