You guys probably know Celeste Ng from her AMAZING book, Little Fires Everywhere. But this lesser known novel is just as good.
Everything I Never Told You follows the Lee family, a mixed Chinese-American family in the '70s. This alternates through several different time periods, which did get kind of confusing because it's not differentiated very well. But regardless, we learn about James and Marilyn. We see the racial tension that follows them throughout their entire relationship. They quickly agreed that they would not talk about serious, heavy issues. They never discussed their backgrounds, they never spoke to or of their families, they tried to live in the moment. But all that changed after they had kids. Marilyn never wanted to play house, this wasn't a life she ever saw for herself, so she left....essentially abandoning her family for her ideal life.
The childhood flashbacks for Nathan and Lydia are sparse. But they struggled with the lack of diversity at their school, especially Lydia. They were the only two Chinese students. Plus Lydia lucked out and got her mother's bright blue eyes. They struggled when their mother left. They struggled when they were reunited. Lydia prayed and prayed for the day her mother would come back. She swore she'd do anything to keep her mother happy, because that meant she would never leave again.
The present day storyline is where the book begins. Lydia is missing, but quickly found dead in a nearby lake. This turmoil is too much for her family to handle. Nath was getting ready to leave for college. Marilyn can't comprehend how or why her daughter was anywhere near that lake. James can't help but to begin seeing his daughter and her struggles everywhere. And then there's Hannah, she's such a minor character but she's precious. She's wise beyond her years; a little eavesdropping kleptomaniac looking for attention.
I definitely enjoyed reading this book.
A quick beach read for sure!!
Looking for other books by Celeste Ng?
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