Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Fiction
What it’s about: In this compelling, character-driven novel, family secrets and hidden desires hide just below the surface. Lydia Lee was a gifted high school student from a loving family, and when she died mysteriously, her family was shattered. As the story delves into each family member’s past, you learn of her father’s struggles as the son of Chinese immigrants, her mother’s pain at giving up her career, and Lydia’s own inner conflicts and secret life.
Why you might like it: If you like novels told from multiple perspectives, you’ll appreciate the gradual unfolding of this story as you read different viewpoints. Also, if you prefer a strong sense of place, you’ll enjoy the way Ng carefully constructs the 1970s Midwestern setting.
Reviewers say: “Ng constructs a mesmerizing narrative that shrinks enormous issues of race, prejudice, identity, and gender into the miniaturist dynamics of a single family. A breathtaking triumph..." (Library Journal).
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