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Everything I Never Told You

Celeste Ng

Start date: December 12, 2015

Finish date: December 31, 2015

Discussion: Books of the Month

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What Members Thought

Nov 24, 2017 Trisha rated it liked it · review of another edition

“She understands. There is nowhere to go but on. Still, part of her longs to go back”

This was a very sad look at a family. One that has learned too long ago that not saying something keeps everyone from having to face it. They also view the world and their relationships only through their own eyes - with never a thought to what the other person might be saying or what lens the other person may view through.

It's a gut-wrenching story that starts with a death of a young teenage girl. As the story ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2015 JK rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries

Despite being Asian American, I haven't read too many books striking on the difficulties of growing up in a predominately white area because I grew up in a school system filled with other Asian Americans. Yet I can imagine how tough it must have been for Lydia. The harsh reality of racism (especially in the 1970s) and being alienated by her peers for something she had no control over overwhelmed her. Her parents who tried to mold her into what they couldn't have been was just icing on the cake.

I ...more

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Oct 21, 2015 Rachel N. rated it liked it

Lydia is dead, found in a lake near her home. The book then travels back and forth showing the events that led up to Lydia's death and the aftermath. Lydia is the middle child of a family with a father whose parents were from China and whose mother is white. Lydia is pushed by her mother to excel in school and be a doctor and by her father to be popular and fit in. Lydia's older brother Nath and younger sister Hannah are both ignored while all the parents attention is focused on Lydia. I really ...more

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Nov 16, 2015 Rebekah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-adult, genre-adult-fiction, genre-mystery, bookgirls, yellow-books, rating-4, genre-fiction, genre-book-club, genre-contemporary, genre-historical-fiction

This was a very moving book about a biracial family growing up in the Midwest US in the 1970s. It is hard to read because it is so realistic and powerful, and that made it at times gut-wrenching without being maudlin or melodramatic. It is tragic how some people do not communicate honestly with each other. And how society tries to force us into certain specific roles and expectations, even if we do not want to fit in. This one will definitely stay with me awhile.

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Nov 28, 2020 Kelly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Heart wrenching

Celeste Ng is amazing at examining raw humanity. The things we tell ourselves, the things that we pretend we aren’t aware of, the unspoken things that we suddenly realize we are looking at all wrong. Family dynamics are tricky and while we think that we pay attention to the ones we love, we see everything through our own lens, our own past, our own experiences. Excellent read that brought tears to my eyes.

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Sep 30, 2017 Nita rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-books, 4000-books

Masterful use of omniscient narrator, which has been rare in my reading experience. Excellent character studies. Explores problems faced by multi-racial families and several different shades of meaning of being "other." Ng is a gifted writer, and this is an incredible debut. ...more

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Dec 12, 2016 Leslie King rated it really liked it

Did not care for the opening line, but it sets the premise right away...jump right into the story.
Enjoyed the sibling dynamics, and general growing up challenges happening. The parents' stories were intriguing too. ...more

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Nov 16, 2014 Pamela Milosev marked it as to-read