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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Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng is an absorbing read opening with the lines “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know it yet.”
Centering on a Chinese American family living in a small Ohio college town in the 1970s, Ng strips away the facade and reveals that we may keep our fears and painful past to ourselves, but they play out in our acts and desires, hurting not only ourselves but our children.
Well deserved New York Times Notable Book and bestseller. Highly recommended.
A deep dive into the grief of a family, this book is exquisitely written.
sad outcome: makes you rethink parenting
Everything I Never Told You perhaps should have been named “Everything You Never Thought to Ask or Notice”. This was a beautifully written story about what I perceived as a deeply dysfunctional family. It broke my heart on so many levels because I fear it speaks to a great many American households these days. I never thought I would be one to say the dreaded phrase “in my days” but unfortunately in my days when we raised our kids, the dinner table was a place to share our lives and thoughts with one another. We recognized the importance of knowing what was going on with our children and hopefully helped them feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and fears. As a part of the duo “husband and wife”, and 40+ years together, you learn that the key to a healthy relationship is not being afraid to share feelings – even if they may not be what the other half wants to hear. This story brought to light the importance of communication in a family, the need we each have to feel loved, important and accepted for who we are and not who someone wants us to be. This should be a must read for all parents to learn to “use your words” and not assume anything. It should be a wake up call for all parents that you can’t relieve your life through your children. If somehow you missed the boat and your life took a different direction than planned, well now is a good time to pull up your big girl panties and make the best of the hand you have been dealt. In all honesty this was not a feel good book for me, but was an very realistic and honest look at everyone’s human side that screams out a need to be heard and accepted.
I love Celeste Ng’s writing style – lovely prose.
The first line is “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know it yet”
Right off the bat, you are drawn into the world of this family. This is the story of a Chinese American family living in the 1970s in a small town in Ohio. Their children are Nathan – the eldest who is a bright, well liked student who has been admitted to Harvard and cannot wait to escape to college. Lydia – the middle child and the favorite among her parents. Her mother sees Lydia being the doctor she could never be, and her husband sees her being the popular girl he never was. Then there is Hannah, who is the 10 year old “surprise” who is all but ignored by her family. The story jumps all over time starting with when the parents in this story were young and growing up in very different environments. The wife was a student in college when she met her future husband who was a graduate student. They fell in love, she got pregnant, they got married, and she never finished college. She always regretted it – even leaving the marriage at one point to try and finish college and go on to medical school. But things happen and she returns to her family and her life as a stay at home mom. When Lydia dies, the family completely falls apart. They don’t know if she was murdered or if she committee suicide, and they try to piece together what happened to the daughter that was the center of their world.
This was a great story. I likes how it went back and forth through the past starting with when the parents were young through their early marriage and when the children came along. Every character had their chance to tell their view point – even Lydia. The author works through the past to the present to show how the family got to this point and how they are going to move forward. The only thing I didn’t like is that the wife did up and leave her FAMILY – no note, no explanation, when Lydia and Nathan were small – to go after her dream of being a doctor. She felt that she couldn’t be a parent and a wife and a student all at once. It didn’t make much sense – didn’t really fit the character to be that selfish. Even though she was going gone 9 weeks before she returned home, it seemed to be leading that she was never going to return to her family.
Check it out. I think it is worth a read.
Captivating read.
Well written and yet so sad. Parents putting so much pressure on their child.
I guess every family has it’s own problems. To children doing all they can to please their parents, to the point of not knowing what they want. Runaway mothers and unfaithful fathers are part of this family. And a son that wants to get away from the chaos to make his own at college. This book was sad an so realistic, I would have thought it was the 2000s not the 70’s. I guess the problems are all the same from generation to generation.
I usually don’t give 5 star recommendations. When I finish a book, I generally grant 3 – 4 stars. This book was awesome. It had everything. I probably will read it again in the next few months.
The author is remarkable in her ability to speak through her characters. I just didn’t find any of the primary characters very likable.
Deeply explores the effect of life experiences on how we learn from the unintended communications of all those we love: parents, spouses, children. Very succinct writing, highly expressive and thought-provoking. I can’t wait to read Ng’s later book(s)!
A well-written and sharply observed story about the tragic consequences of parental ambition.Very moving and thought provoking.
Good story line about how parents make choices for their children for the right reasons (love) yet children don’t feel the love if they are not true to themselves; highlighting cultural differences that we may not be aware of or allow for.
This story didn’t stay with me like I had hoped but the analysis of teen suicide and an immigrant family’s transition woes is thoughtful. I didn’t like it enough to move on to Little Fires Everywhere.
I enjoyed all the characters and certainly learned a great deal. I am not a minority but have great empathy for those who are. Trying to adjust to be like everyone else would be very difficult. The end of the story and facing fears was perfect.
This was a great story where you really get in depth with the characters and why their lives have unfolded the way they have. It starts with a shocking, seemingly unexplainable event, but as the book delves into the family’s history you realize that the event was practically a foregone conclusion.
This book is a great character study among family members. There will be much for your book club to discuss.
She writes such great character studies. She seems like she’s writing about ordinary family life and simple daily occurrences. But there’s an undercurrent of subtext that pushes you along and makes startling moments of the ordinary.
I loved this book. Depicts the mysteries that lie within families, and how even those you live with might be total strangers in some sense. Ng creates wonderfully multi-dimensional characters that you are both shocked by and easily relate to as well.