Everything I Never Told You
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-21 05:52:00
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Celeste Ng
- ISBN：0143127551
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Lydia is dead。 But they don’t know this yet。
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。
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。
Reviews
Bethany
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Very powerful。 You can’t avoid expectations。 The book resonates with me， growing up in a family who expects everything from you， expects you to be the best at everything and expects you to accept extreme criticism from them （to better yourself）。 Most of all， expects you to be perfect。 Every little mistake， they will be sure to try to perfect it for you。 Lydia， suffering her mother’s overbearing and pushing her into her dreams of being a doctor， which she failed， undertake pressure from her famil Very powerful。 You can’t avoid expectations。 The book resonates with me， growing up in a family who expects everything from you， expects you to be the best at everything and expects you to accept extreme criticism from them （to better yourself）。 Most of all， expects you to be perfect。 Every little mistake， they will be sure to try to perfect it for you。 Lydia， suffering her mother’s overbearing and pushing her into her dreams of being a doctor， which she failed， undertake pressure from her family。 She is the center of her family’s universe。 But as time goes on， she crumbled under pressure but wouldn't tell her mother: enough。 MORE LATER - GOT ERRANDS TO RUN 。。。more
forkbuns
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i am。 cryign。
Leonie
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Good writing but I just thought the story was so average， I’m a bit disappointed。
Erin Sullivan
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“He can’t know what it was like， not the first time， not the last。 He can guess， but he won’t ever know， not really。 What it was like， what she was thinking， everything she’d never told him” *Massive trigger warning if you’ve ever struggled with suicidal thoughts I think maybe skip this book*This book was hard to read。 As someone who deeply related to Lydia’s struggles with perfection and a fear of being alone I felt like I was reading my own thoughts。 It took me a few days to read because it wa “He can’t know what it was like， not the first time， not the last。 He can guess， but he won’t ever know， not really。 What it was like， what she was thinking， everything she’d never told him” *Massive trigger warning if you’ve ever struggled with suicidal thoughts I think maybe skip this book*This book was hard to read。 As someone who deeply related to Lydia’s struggles with perfection and a fear of being alone I felt like I was reading my own thoughts。 It took me a few days to read because it was so painful and difficult to read。Overall the writing was beautifully tragic and a great read。 I cried over and over for each character but I think it’s a recommended skip if you’ve ever struggled with suicidal ideation in the past。 。。。more
Kennadi heaps
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It really shows that every family dynamic is so different。 This family in particular has quite a few issues of racial differences， lack of ability to understand love language， jealousy， and guilt。 It was a fantastic read and I enjoyed seeing how each character takes on their role and can recognize where they can improve in their own families。
Bruno Darío
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Esta señora escribe genial， pero por alguna razón no he podido conectar del todo con los personajes， así que， aunque la trama esté genial construida， no he podido entrar del todo。。。 A ver qué tal su segunda novela， que la serie de Prime fue una pasada。
Noorie Hassan
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This is such a complex and heartbreaking story。 I love how the author has so effortlessly explained fear， shattered dreams， oppressive parental expectations， the inability of parents to see their children in pain and emotional negligence。 This is an extraordinary book that explores family bonds and dynamics， racism， love， lies and loss。 I really enjoyed how the writing switched between present and past， and continuously gave little snippets of events。 The story is moving and I absolutely love th This is such a complex and heartbreaking story。 I love how the author has so effortlessly explained fear， shattered dreams， oppressive parental expectations， the inability of parents to see their children in pain and emotional negligence。 This is an extraordinary book that explores family bonds and dynamics， racism， love， lies and loss。 I really enjoyed how the writing switched between present and past， and continuously gave little snippets of events。 The story is moving and I absolutely love this book。 。。。more
Carla
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Loved this book！ I read "Little fires everywhere" by Celeste Ng a while ago and really liked it。 In my local library I saw this book - I picked it up and read it in a few days time。 It's about the expectations parents have of their children， how they want their children to achieve what they didn't or couldn't。 It's about being different， not only as the only "Oriental" in school or in town， but also as the only female in a male environment。 I loved learning more about the different characters， e Loved this book！ I read "Little fires everywhere" by Celeste Ng a while ago and really liked it。 In my local library I saw this book - I picked it up and read it in a few days time。 It's about the expectations parents have of their children， how they want their children to achieve what they didn't or couldn't。 It's about being different， not only as the only "Oriental" in school or in town， but also as the only female in a male environment。 I loved learning more about the different characters， even Jack， the neighbor's boy。 Nothing seems what it looks like， are we hiding， pretending or just scared？I doubted between a 4 and 5 star （maybe I'll change my mind later， depending on how the story sticks）。2021 Books #32 。。。more
Eva
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Un historia que tiene mil capas。 Va de silencios。 De lo poco que sabemos de la gente que nos rodea。"Se creen que lo saben todo de ti。 Solo que nunca eres quien creen que eres。" Un historia que tiene mil capas。 Va de silencios。 De lo poco que sabemos de la gente que nos rodea。"Se creen que lo saben todo de ti。 Solo que nunca eres quien creen que eres。" 。。。more
Luela
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Everything I never told you was beautiful。 Celeste Ng has a way of capturing the reality of life and family。 How we have our own problems and can be blind to the struggles of those around us。 How our views are shaped from our experiences and how that leads to projection。 The way Ng wrote every character and intertwined their stories was sheer artwork。 I loved and hated the characters， felt sorry for them， understood and misunderstood them continuously。 I loved this book。 Definitely one I’ll thin Everything I never told you was beautiful。 Celeste Ng has a way of capturing the reality of life and family。 How we have our own problems and can be blind to the struggles of those around us。 How our views are shaped from our experiences and how that leads to projection。 The way Ng wrote every character and intertwined their stories was sheer artwork。 I loved and hated the characters， felt sorry for them， understood and misunderstood them continuously。 I loved this book。 Definitely one I’ll think about for a long time。 。。。more
Warlou Joyce Antonio
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Thoughts have been processed so here we are。 I still stand by my initial reaction while and right after reading this book: I don't like it。 Hear me out。 I wanted to love this。 I picked it up expecting that the emotional reader in me would be moved by it to some degree--that I would see a compelling portrait of a flawed family dealing with grief， regrets， and isolation， among others。 Alas， what I mostly felt were boredom and irritation。 I'm not sure if it's the narration style but I felt so detac Thoughts have been processed so here we are。 I still stand by my initial reaction while and right after reading this book: I don't like it。 Hear me out。 I wanted to love this。 I picked it up expecting that the emotional reader in me would be moved by it to some degree--that I would see a compelling portrait of a flawed family dealing with grief， regrets， and isolation， among others。 Alas， what I mostly felt were boredom and irritation。 I'm not sure if it's the narration style but I felt so detached--like I was watching things unfold behind a glass or from a distance away。 I just didn't care （which can possibly be the worst reaction）。 Sure， I was aware that the writing was beautiful and even poignant in most parts but that made no difference。 I've marked several beautiful lines but I felt those wouldn't compensate for my lack of connection with and sympathy for the characters and what's happening to them。 I was annoyed with what the characters thought or decided， and how they acted （especially the parents）。 It's rare for me to be pissed off with characters because of what they were doing and not because of what's happening to them。 Ok maybe that was the point of the story but I guess I just couldn't see past my gripes with it。 I almost DNF-ed it but I gave it until the end to change my mind， to redeem itself to me。 These were some of the things or scenes that I hated: Spoilers ahead。 （view spoiler）[ Introducing horrible parents:- This should be called “terrible parenting 101。” James， the father， irritated me the most。 He kept antagonizing Nath even though he sees himself in his son。 He's being terrible and he's aware of it yet he keeps being shitty。 Character development not found。-James has an affair and at the end， he didn't even have the decency to say that it's over。 He just never speaks to her again。 -Marilyn and James neglecting their youngest， Hannah， and she ends up feeling invisible （to the point where they even forget about her existence; Marilyn prepares 4 plates instead of 5 like what） -James not allowing Marilyn to get a job because of his ego。 I mean that could've prevented her from abandoning them in the first place。-Marilyn didn't even leave a note when she ran away because she thinks it's better that way。 Uhmm hello you have kids。 This was what planted the fear in Lydia， leading her to say yes to everything her mom said。 -The heavy-handed way of presenting Marilyn as a mom who projects her dreams on Lydia （sample: scene where she posted Lydia's failed test paper on their kitchen wall） and James as a person whose main goal in the world is to please everybody， basically drilling in his daughter's head that befriending everyone takes top priority （I judged him so hard when he gave her a copy of ‘How to win friends and influence people’）-Through it all， we're told that Lydia was the favorite， that their actions were fueled by love。 Both parents saw her as fulfillment of their own ambitions and they neglected the other 2 kids in the process。 That doesn't feel like love to me。-I didn't sympathize with Lydia as she went through all of those things （a heartless thing to say about a dead protagonist， I know。） Ugh， I can cite so many instances。 Typing these now is getting me in a bad mood haha I just found it hard to believe that external forces or their circumstances merited the self-destructive and blatantly ignorant-slash-toxic behaviors they exhibited （this coming from someone who has loved and rooted for characters with questionable morals） （hide spoiler）]I know most people loved this book。 It's good that they had a pleasant experience。 I'm just sad I couldn't say the same thing。 So yeah， take all of what I said with a grain of salt。 This can just be a case of "it's not you， it's me。" Check out the book and see for yourself。 I might change my mind about it。 For now， these rants still hold true。 。。。more
M
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this book really made me never want to marry a man or have any children
Steph
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Another great novel by Celeste Ng！ Dealing with complex issues such as race， immigration and family in the US through the death of a close family member。 A realistic and heart wrenching read， Ng’s debut novel is an absolute hit and it’s clear to see why it’s become a best selling book。 I can’t wait to see what she’s going to publish next！
aylin
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she‘ll never know and neither will they。 and all /i/ know…is pain。 the ending is extremely well done
Oksana
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Десь між 3 і 4 （перечитувати， як і рекомендувати， не буду）。 Захвату немає， але книжка тримала протягом всього читання。
Asia Marie
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When I first picked up this novel I thought it was going to be a murder mystery and the family dynamics while trying figuring out the murder。 However， this is not what the book needed up being about， which was somewhat disappointing。 I majored in family studies， so I did enjoy the brittle and strange family dynamics and understanding their behavior。 Each of their stories interweaves in a beautiful and sad way。 It really makes you realize how relationships and experiences truly shape who we are a When I first picked up this novel I thought it was going to be a murder mystery and the family dynamics while trying figuring out the murder。 However， this is not what the book needed up being about， which was somewhat disappointing。 I majored in family studies， so I did enjoy the brittle and strange family dynamics and understanding their behavior。 Each of their stories interweaves in a beautiful and sad way。 It really makes you realize how relationships and experiences truly shape who we are and how we behave。 Celeste Ng is a beautiful writer， very poetic to a sense。 The way she describes things really allows you to envision it in your head and feel the characters pain。 Although the book did not end up being what I thought it was， it was overall a beautiful story with a lot of take aways regarding relationships， love， communication， stepping into your own， etc。 。。。more
Hanna A Davis
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I。 Cried。That's all I can say。 Oh！ And go READ IT。 RIGHT。 NOW。 I。 Cried。That's all I can say。 Oh！ And go READ IT。 RIGHT。 NOW。 。。。more
Mahima
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The more I thought about the book， the more perfect I found the storyline。 Parents with different histories expected different things from their children。 One wants them to blend in and the other wants them to stand out。 A fragile family and encumbered children， and one death。 The death of th favourite child， Lydia， shook the family where everyone was living in their own kind of reality based on their own kind of history。 But can every child/teenager take the burden of expectations？ And then， th The more I thought about the book， the more perfect I found the storyline。 Parents with different histories expected different things from their children。 One wants them to blend in and the other wants them to stand out。 A fragile family and encumbered children， and one death。 The death of th favourite child， Lydia， shook the family where everyone was living in their own kind of reality based on their own kind of history。 But can every child/teenager take the burden of expectations？ And then， the children's world tumble down with too much attention and no attention at all。 The book dealt with really sensitive issues and there was hope by the end of it。 Although， the story is told in third person and author switched the person in every second paragraph which made the reading a bit frustrating at times as it broke the flow but I loved the way story unfolded。 You will realise the beauty of the book when you will silently think about the issues dealt here。 Also， "why" of every character has been answered。 。。。more
Megan
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Loved the discrepancies between what people say and what they think - very realistic and heartbreaking to think about it in my real life。 Overall heartbreaking characters and book。 Gave me lots to think about re raising my kids。
Morgan Calvert
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In this book， set in 1970s Ohio， the Lee family， made up of Chinese-American dad， James， white mom， Marilyn， and three children， finds out favorite child Lydia is dead。 What follows is a sad， but beautiful story of how families grieve， how expectations can weigh on people and how women and people of color deal with the challenges of identity。I loved Celeste Ng's writing in Little Fires Everywhere， and I loved it just as much here。 It's so lyrical and subtle， seamlessly transitioning between POVs In this book， set in 1970s Ohio， the Lee family， made up of Chinese-American dad， James， white mom， Marilyn， and three children， finds out favorite child Lydia is dead。 What follows is a sad， but beautiful story of how families grieve， how expectations can weigh on people and how women and people of color deal with the challenges of identity。I loved Celeste Ng's writing in Little Fires Everywhere， and I loved it just as much here。 It's so lyrical and subtle， seamlessly transitioning between POVs in a way that shines an interesting light on the perspectives and perceptions of each character。 She also has such a knack for building tension that makes her work so compelling。This book covers so many tough topics that make it difficult to read， but it is well worth it。 。。。more
Tyler Kossila
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Not at good as Little Fires Everywhere， but I read it in one day so that says something。
Abigail Clepper
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Interesting commentary on parents and children。 Insights into my mother。。。
Kayla John
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DNFI didn’t realize one family could bitch and moan so god damn much in such a small book。 But oh my god this whole family sucks， and I just can’t force myself to give a shit finish this。
João Pedro
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não tenham filhos :）
Jessica Sears
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Celeste Ng is an expert at small town family dramas。 If I had to describe this book with one word， it would be haunting。 I expected this to be more of a mystery/thriller， but instead this was a beautiful exploration of a family and the events that let to the tragic death of their eldest daughter。 Each character’s story was heartbreaking， and while I didn’t agree with some of the choices characters made， Ng was able to create such motivation and a deeper understanding of the “why” behind everyone Celeste Ng is an expert at small town family dramas。 If I had to describe this book with one word， it would be haunting。 I expected this to be more of a mystery/thriller， but instead this was a beautiful exploration of a family and the events that let to the tragic death of their eldest daughter。 Each character’s story was heartbreaking， and while I didn’t agree with some of the choices characters made， Ng was able to create such motivation and a deeper understanding of the “why” behind everyone’s actions。 My only con is that I wish this book had been longer。 I wanted to savor this story， and it seemed to finish far too quickly。 The ending felt a little rushed and not completely satisfying。 Highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a story focused on race and class， familial conflicts， a touch of mystery， and， at times， morally gray characters。 。。。more
gunpowder gelatine
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Just finished it， and all I want right now is to give the Lees a hug。 God！ It’s so good！
Claar
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The ending made the whole book make a lot more sense。 The majority of the book was not that interesting though。
Simran Aliza
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[3。5 stars] While I loved the premise of the story—a family broken by loss， struggling to piece together what went wrong—I didn’t love the way the story was told。 I found the writing to be lacking in depth。 Ng *tells* us （from a third-person perspective） what emotions each character feels。 I found that approach rather shallow for a story that touches on such deep topics; I wish she had let us in to each character’s psyche， *showed* us their pain and confusion， let us feel what they were feeling [3。5 stars] While I loved the premise of the story—a family broken by loss， struggling to piece together what went wrong—I didn’t love the way the story was told。 I found the writing to be lacking in depth。 Ng *tells* us （from a third-person perspective） what emotions each character feels。 I found that approach rather shallow for a story that touches on such deep topics; I wish she had let us in to each character’s psyche， *showed* us their pain and confusion， let us feel what they were feeling as they were feeling it。 I especially wish we had gotten more of Lydia’s perspective—whose death the entire story was centered around。 I wanted to know her fully before we lost her。 Overall， I felt the story was rushed and didn’t live up to its full potential。 I think every character and conflict could have been fleshed out more。 It was still a thought-provoking read; I just wanted more。 。。。more
Evelyn
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3。5* Book club readLiked this book。 Family dynamics， secrets， angst， love， conflict。 Lots going on here。
Carrie Hayes
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