Book Review: "Everything I Never Told You" By Celeste Ng

 

Celeste Ng was an author who I almost accidentally stumbled upon earlier this year. The local libraries in northern New Jersey often have book sales, where you can sometimes find some really great books for as low as 50 cents. So I saw one of her books, "Little Fires Everywhere," and saw how the reviews seemed to be glowing. I took the chance, and I was not sorry.

Obviously, I began to read more of her stuff. And having just finished "Everything I Never Told You" just days ago, it seemed like a good time to finally publish a review of the book. 

Having enjoyed the previous two other Celeste Ng books that I had read, of course the expectation was that this one would be good, as well. And it was. The characters are complex and feel like real people. The situations they find themselves in, and the decisions that they make are believable. Like with her other books, you feel like you can relate to the characters.

Now, I do not want to get into the spoilers with too much detail. And in fact, I will not do so. But without giving too much away, this story revolves around the mysterious and unexpected sudden death of Lydia, the daughter of a family of two parents and three kids. It is a "mixed" marriage in terms of race, with the man being of Asian descent, and the woman being white. The race issue comes up again and again, almost from the beginning of the book. The kids - two daughters and one son - are therefore also of mixed race. Indeed, the theme of race and uncomfortable moments revolving around race are some of the main themes of the book. 

Lydia's death is not much of a spoiler, by the way, because it is revealed in the very first sentence of the book, if memory serves correctly. Certainly on the first page. It is a shocking and obviously dismaying event for the entire family. And the rest of the book essentially deals with each individual family member coping with this devastating loss. It jumps back and forth to give us the back story of how of both parents, James and Marilyn, and how they met, some of the obstacles (again, race being seemingly the main one) that they faced from the start, and how they overcame that to raise a wonderful family.

Yet, it is not quite as happy a family as it seems. Again, without giving anything away, something happens that gives the family a jolt, and shapes the attitudes of all of the family members from that point onwards, ultimately leading to the moment of Lydia's death. We do find out why she died, and all of the mysteries surrounding it. 

We also learn much of what contributed to the drama that led up to Lydia's death itself. This includes many seemingly minor  - but not so minor, as it turns out - attitudes and misunderstandings within the family itself. Parental pressure on popularity and academic achievement, feelings of isolation, the pressures of presenting an image that is fake and has no actual basis in reality. There is resentment as well, both among family members, as well as between Nath (the son, and Lydia's brother) and Jack, a neighborhood boy who figures prominently in this story. 

Ironically, it seems that Hannah, the youngest child, and the one who seems to be both overlooked, and most at peace in terms of not holding any serious grudges against any of the other major characters, who seems to have arguably the healthiest and most balanced attitude in the book. She also will prove to be instrumental in how the story finally gets resolved.

This is a very moving book. It packs a serious emotional punch. Again, the characters feel real, the situations and circumstances believable. The drama Ng sets in the book is gripping. Personally, I was hooked right away, right from the first page, and basically flew this book. It really is that good.

The best thing that I can say about this book is that I did not want it to end. A part of me wanted to stay in this fictional world for a little while longer. And that seems, to me, like a very high compliment to give about a book. When you don't want it to end, when you want to keep it going, because you have been enjoying the ride, so to speak, is that not what we as readers are looking for to begin with?

Highly recommended!