Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Amy  

fiction

Lydia, the family’s middle child, has died at the age of 16.  The novel unravels the story of her life, and her family members’ lives, leading up to and shortly after her death.  It’s not drastic poor parenting like The Glass Castle or Educated but it’s a portrait of a dysfunctional family.

Everything I Never Told You is a mid-20^th century family drama about a time when people never talked about what was bothering them.   Halfway through, I figured this was just another one of those novels that have lessons to share and they illustrate the times in which they are set, but I usually don’t get anything out of them except depression. Nobody wins. Or, at least, they’re all worse off because of their family life.  But, I began feeling differently during the second half of this novel. It made me evaluate my own parenting style and I’m hopeful that I didn’t negatively impact my children’s lives like these parents unwittingly did. I certainly am guilty of wanting different things for my children than I experienced in my own childhood. But, I’d like to think I didn’t go so overboard and that I was more measured and realistic than Lydia’s parents. Thankfully, my mother was a communicator, and I’d like to think that my children understood my intentions while growing up. Still, I’m sure this novel will haunt me. The biggest moral of the story (besides family communication) is that parents should never re-live their childhood or attempt to fix their own childhood issues through their children. It’s a recipe for disaster. Another sad aspect of the story is that racism still exists against Chinese Americans. Some things don’t seem to improve despite the fact that we think we are progressing as a nation.

This was the second novel I’ve read by Celeste Ng but I did not enjoy this one as much as Little Fires Everywhere which was a much richer novel. Still, it holds its own and I am impressed with Ng’s thoughtful insight and the way she wrote to deliver her messages.

The narrator, Cassandra Campbell, did a fine job. She had a good-sized repertoire of voices and characters.  Her narrator voice could have been more animated but the material in these depressing novels tends to make the narrators perform in depressing monotone. She wasn’t as bad as others I’ve heard and was a good voice actor otherwise.  I’ll give her an A- for this performance.