Everything I Never Told You
A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year • A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice • Winner of the Alex Award and the Massachusetts Book Award • Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Grantland Booklist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Shelf Awareness, Book Riot, School Library Journal, Bustle, and Time Our New York
The acclaimed debut novel by the author of Little Fires Everywhere and Our Missing Hearts
“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.
The acclaimed debut novel by the author of Little Fires Everywhere and Our Missing Hearts
“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.
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Community Reviews
Reading this book, it isnt about the crime but each character back story in a family dynamic that can be all too relatable. Never fitting in due to cultural or family expectations, the jealousy and alienation of family/community, the constant questioning of what if, and the draw that family blood can constantly pull. I started this book thinking it would be a great easy read with a bit of drama and a who-done-it mystery but instead found myself curious for more this author's writing style as it became more of each character back story. I wasn't a fan of the final chapters.
Book Review: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
I thoroughly enjoyed Everything I Never Told You. Celeste Ng’s writing is beautifully poetic, weaving vivid imagery with an emotional depth that lingers long after finishing the book. What I appreciated most was how the story unraveled through the perspectives of each family member—gradually revealing the weight of the secrets they kept, both before and after Lydia’s disappearance. Ng masterfully balances suspense with tender insight, allowing readers to explore themes of identity, belonging, and familial expectation. It’s a haunting and moving story about how what remains unsaid can shape lives in profound ways.
I really loved the writing and overall setup of this story. Just felt that some of the plot lines were a bit odd, like the way Lydia died and the fact that the little sister was just completely ignored 95% of the book like what
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