“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins Celeste Ng’s novel Everything I Never Told You, 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 story of family, secrets and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait. “Ng's emotionally complex debut novel sucks you in like a strong current and holds you fast until its final secrets surface,” our reviewer wrote.
