A review of, "Everything I Never Told You"

[RebeccaB4176]

We’ve all read fictional novels about Chinese-American families, from Amy Tan’s, “The Joy Luck Club,” about the relationship between mother and daughter to one of New York Times 2014 bestsellers, “China Dolls,” by Lisa See about life post-Pearl Harbor for Chinese-Americans. But “Everything I Never Told You,” by Celeste Ng is different. This novel is brilliantly written, as it intertwines two separate stories linked by one thing: family. The first story tells about the life of a Chinese-American family, while the other speaks of the consequences of secrets. This book has the right ingredients for a thrilling, suspenseful novel, but it also gives the reader an in depth look at what people will hide to meet societal norms, even if it means keeping secrets from your family.
“Everything I Never Told You,” grabs the reader's attention from the start. Set in a suburban Ohio town in the 1970s, Celeste Ng immediately shares that the middle child of the Lee family, Lydia, has been found dead in a nearby lake, “Lydia is dead, but they don’t know this yet,” leaving the townspeople (and reader) questioning whether she was murdered or if it was suicide. The death of Lydia tears the family apart, the mom, Marilyn, tries everything she can to figure out what happened to her daughter, while the father, James, deals with it by having a secret affair. Older brother Nathan is convinced that their neighbor Jack was in the wrongdoing, while youngest child Hannah has spent long hours observing her sister and holds the keys, (or shall we say secrets?) to unlock the mystery.
As all is disclosed, this novel will not only make you want to keep reading, but will also make you question the morality of some cultures as you watch this family shatter while the pressure Lydia was under is revealed along with the other imperfections of the family. Every single reader will take something different from this novel, a parent will have a more objective view thinking of what their relationship with their child(ren) is, a young adult may see it as someone finally recognizing the pressure that is put on them, some may view it as an eerie reflection of their own life. As I read this novel one specific quote stuck with me, as it deals with something that we all try to do everyday, “Lydia knew what they wanted so desperately, even when they didn’t ask. Every time, it seemed such a small thing to trade for their happiness.” This novel will leave one asking, what is more important, your happiness or the happiness of others? It is something we all struggle with.

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Duplicated topic

Everything I Never Told You