Helpful Score: 4
A beautiful and heartbreaking tale of a family that quietly unravels in the wake of the death of the beloved middle child, and the events that formed the ways the family members related to each other and inadvertently lead to the circumstances of young Lydia's death. I liked the way the narrative jumps back and forth in time, showing first the events and interactions that were formative for various family members, then jumping forward to show how all that manifests in the ways they act and react after Lydia's death. It never gets confusing, though. A delicately written book.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a most compelling read about lives that will definitely make you think about how you are raising your children and trying to change them and live your life through them. The whole novel is all about secrets and things that didn't turn out right for some and how this married couple put all of their hopes and dreams into their daughter, never really letting her be who she was.
In so doing, there were two other children that never felt the ability to reach their goals, or to even want to reach them. Everyone's lives centered around Lydia and, technically, everything that her mother was not able to attain in her own life.
The father also put those burdens on his daughter, as he was Oriental, thinking that people always looked down upon him because of his race. Therefore, with his daughter being half-Oriental, he was always trying to teach her to be a sociable, friendly person, to no avail.
This is a really compelling, sad look at a family that was so dysfunctional, yet not the kind of dysfunction that that term presently incurs.
In so doing, there were two other children that never felt the ability to reach their goals, or to even want to reach them. Everyone's lives centered around Lydia and, technically, everything that her mother was not able to attain in her own life.
The father also put those burdens on his daughter, as he was Oriental, thinking that people always looked down upon him because of his race. Therefore, with his daughter being half-Oriental, he was always trying to teach her to be a sociable, friendly person, to no avail.
This is a really compelling, sad look at a family that was so dysfunctional, yet not the kind of dysfunction that that term presently incurs.
Helpful Score: 1
Well-written does not equal enjoyable.
I read this book in an afternoon. Book is about a couple, one who is Caucasian, the other Chinese heritage. They marry in the late 50's when this was still uncommon. Story consists of their experiences and their children's experiences. It is so much bigger than that, though, as it also delves into parenting and that fine line between wanting more for our children and allowing them to live their own lives.
A heart wrenching story of a blended family that is told so beautifully. The story of Lydia's death and how it came to be through the eyes of her family members. Why parents pressure their children, why siblings lean on each other, why differences make us who we are.
This was one of the most depressing books I've read in a long time, but very good and well written. It is the story of a dysfunctional family (and whose family isn't?) beginning with the death of one of the kids. It unfolds from there, slowly revealing how everyone fits into the family and the tragedy. It also looks at a mixed race family and how they felt like outsiders, trying to fit into a world that looks at them as "different". It's worth a read, but be sure to have a happy book in the wings....
Devastating. A very sad and completely believable portrait of a family that never belonged and never adjusted to one another or to their community. I'm halfway through and not sure I can bear to make it to the end...
I absolutely hated this depressing book.
By the time I got to page 70 I knew this book was not for me. It was too dysfunctional and sad for my taste. I skimmed through the rest of the book and read a few spoilers and then I was doubly sure the book was not for me. The writing was decent but I did not care for the subject matter.
I never could get into this book. It was boring & did not hold my attention.
I don't know what to say about this book because I didn't actually read it. I read about 20 pages, the writing was boring at best, compared to what I usually read, and I just couldn't get interested in the story at all. I used to feel obligated to finish a book, but no more. Life is too short and here are way better things to read. So, off it goes to someone else. Disappointed, I'd waited a long time for this one.
Very good and very interesting. Gives one something to think about.
Book Description:
A haunting debut novel about a mixed-race family living in 1970s Ohio and the tragedy that will either be their undoing or their salvation.
Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet . . . So begins the story in this exquisite debut novel about a Chinese American family living in a small town in 1970s Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue - in Marilyn's case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James' case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party. - - When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia's older brother, Nathan, is certain the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's the youngest of the family, Hannah, who observes far more than anyone realizes - and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened. - - A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family and 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:
This is a very heartbreaking and haunting story about a very dysfunctional family. It hooked my from the beginning when it starts by telling you that Lydia, the middle child, is dead. At first it seems like a mystery as to what happened to Lydia but you soon find out that she committed suicide. First of all, it is a mixed race household, (Asian father and American mother). The timeframe is the 70's when Chinese Americans were treated not so good. James, the father, wants his children to be popular because he was not. Marilyn, the mother, is not happy how her life turned out and wants Lydia, her daughter, to fulfill her dreams of becoming a doctor. Nathan, the son, just wants to escape because so much attention is placed on Lydia. Heather, the youngest, is just trying to survive living in this house of turmoil. With so much pressure to succeed placed on Lydia, you can quickly see why she committed suicide when she was not living up to her parents' expectations. There were twists and turns that made me feel like they may never really know their children especially with so many secrets that the family never share about themselves. I found this book to be a well-written good story but very sad, dark and depressing. I look forward to reading more by this author and would highly recommend this novel to those to like to read about different family dynamics.
A haunting debut novel about a mixed-race family living in 1970s Ohio and the tragedy that will either be their undoing or their salvation.
Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet . . . So begins the story in this exquisite debut novel about a Chinese American family living in a small town in 1970s Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue - in Marilyn's case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James' case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party. - - When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia's older brother, Nathan, is certain the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's the youngest of the family, Hannah, who observes far more than anyone realizes - and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened. - - A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family and 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:
This is a very heartbreaking and haunting story about a very dysfunctional family. It hooked my from the beginning when it starts by telling you that Lydia, the middle child, is dead. At first it seems like a mystery as to what happened to Lydia but you soon find out that she committed suicide. First of all, it is a mixed race household, (Asian father and American mother). The timeframe is the 70's when Chinese Americans were treated not so good. James, the father, wants his children to be popular because he was not. Marilyn, the mother, is not happy how her life turned out and wants Lydia, her daughter, to fulfill her dreams of becoming a doctor. Nathan, the son, just wants to escape because so much attention is placed on Lydia. Heather, the youngest, is just trying to survive living in this house of turmoil. With so much pressure to succeed placed on Lydia, you can quickly see why she committed suicide when she was not living up to her parents' expectations. There were twists and turns that made me feel like they may never really know their children especially with so many secrets that the family never share about themselves. I found this book to be a well-written good story but very sad, dark and depressing. I look forward to reading more by this author and would highly recommend this novel to those to like to read about different family dynamics.
Everything I Never Told You, the debut novel by Celeste Ng, is the beautifully and gently told story of the Lee family living in Ohio in the 1970s. The themes of not belonging and not communicating recur with every character throughout the book. The adult characters, James and Marilyn, make choices that are not likable; yet, you want to understand them. The book leaves you sad and wishing that you could undo some of the choices and mend what is broken.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2015/01/everything-i-never-told-you.html
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2015/01/everything-i-never-told-you.html
This was a very well written,engaging novel.
