Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Everything I Never Told You

by Celeste Ng

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 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.

Reviewed by lex6819 on

4 of 5 stars

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Very well written. I actually finished the book (and I don't finish most novels, there are so many bad ones out there). Compelling, and somewhat suspenseful. Reminded me a little of "Deep End of the Ocean." Difficult to sympathize with the characters. Cheesy middle class problems was a stumbling block for enjoyment.

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  • 11 February, 2015: Reviewed