Book Review - Everything I Never Told You

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng is just brilliant writing that sweeps you into a family saga. I was captivated by this story – curious, caring, and interested.

Cover blurb – “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” What an opener of a tale about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But that’s a lot of pressure.  When her body is found in the local lake (not a spoiler), the delicate balance act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.

Hannah, the second daughter, plays second string. But now she has to deal with the shadow of Lydia. What happened? And she’s her own person who misses her sister, cares about her parents, worries about her parents, and tries to make up for the huge missing link that is Lydia.  Nathan, the son, also has to grasp the gravity of Lydia dead. It’s all surreal.

Parents, Marilyn and Lee, both worked hard to overcome a “mixed” marriage.  Dealing with prejudice can take its toll too.  This book has so many layers of issues, but it does not beat you over the head as you read it. You just flat out care – you care about the parents and where they are coming from. You care about the pressures on youth these days. And there’s a sadness too. Celeste Ng captures a family in chaos and pulls the past and present together with her story. Everything I Never Told You will grab your gut and not let go.