From the Book Jacket:

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.

My review:

Part of me really enjoyed this story, and the other part of me really disliked it. I don’t know if it’s because I really enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere and I had big expectations, but something about Everything I Never Told You just left me feeling unsatisfied.

I’ll start by saying that Marilyn and James Lee really annoyed me. They were your stereotypical “I want my child to beeverything I wish I was when I was growing up” kind of parents, and I couldn’t stand them. I get that parents often live vicariously through their offspring, but they were ridiculously selfish.

That being said, a big kudos to Celeste Ng for making me loathe them so much but at the same time wanting to know more about them. My heart hurt for their children, whether it was because they were being pushed into being something they didn’t want, being ridiculed for having a passion, or being ignored completely.

I’d almost give Everything I Never Told You four stars, but there’s some nagging feeling holding me back. I think I just wanted more out of it; it felt way too short for the subject matter and I feel there’s some kind of void that’s been left unfilled.

My rating: ★★★¾/5 stars