A review by readikkulus
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

5.0

You know those books that make you squirm and uncomfortable, but you just can't put it down? Well, this is one of them. Set in the 70s, the story is about the Lees - a Chinese American family of five. Lydia, their middle child - and the favourite - is dead. Sure, James & Marilyn think they're a happy family. But as you read on, you discover that balance of the family is hanging by the thread - and it completely disrupted when Lydia dies. Everything I Never Told You paints the picture of a family, that is seemingly happy in a photo - but as you look at each one of them you can see through their desires, sensitivities and insecurities.
While the parents project their insecurities and desires on the children, the kids deal with different strokes of racism, parental pressure and other hurdles in the path of discovering themselves. Knowing that this read didn't have a happy ending, I wasn't sure I'd complete it - but am glad I did. Such a moving story of a family, their expectations from each other and their struggles with understanding (and not) the dynamics of their relationships.