Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng
Expectation: A family mystery-thriller akin to Alice Sebold’s “Lovely Bones.”
Reality: Not so much a mystery, but a slowburn exploration of the Lee family dynamics, which have a solid foundation of secrecy.
My Take:
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions” could be the subtitle of “Everything I Never Told You,” which is one of the most impressive debut novels I’ve ever read. Of course, we now know the literary powerhouse that Celeste Ng has become, but the signs were all over this layered and engrossing family drama.
What surprised me most was how much Ng was able to pack into less than 300-pages without meandering off course. Every action has a purpose, and the results are frequently tense and uncomfortable.
At its core, the story explores familial blindspots, and how we can manifest and project our worst fears and insecurities onto those we love, sometimes unintentionally and frequently without malice intended. However, most things placed under pressure will break - and the Lee family cracks wide open.
While there’s a little mystery at the core — why eldest daughter Lydia drowned — this is a character-driven story through and through. However Ng’s use of five key themes — each “owned” by a specific character but passed amongst them like a cold — was an interesting way to explore parent-child, child-parent and sibling dynamics.
There’s resentment from James, who as the child of Chinese immigrants has dealt with racism and microaggressions his entire life and wants nothing more than to blend in with his white colleagues and neighbors in the Midwest.
There’s dissatisfaction from Marilyn, who gave up her lifelong dream of becoming a physician once she became pregnant in college and married James. Her mother essentially disowned her for the interracial marriage, but she still followed her advice to become the consummate homemaker.
There’s jealousy from Nathan, the oldest son who seethes at his parents’ seemingly unending reverence for Lydia, even though he knows her popularity and academic successes are a facade, yet he is Harvard bound.
There’s anxiety from Lydia, the middle — and favored child — who bears the weight of both parents' expectations to succeed where they failed. However, she struggles at school and with friendships.
There’s detachment from Hannah, the youngest child — an oops baby — who is often overlooked, yet observes her family with the astute eye of an anthropologist piecing together an ancient mystery.
Each of these acts as a disease that festers in the Lee household, treated only by secrecy and indignation. This may make it seem like “Everything” is about a group of people that despise one another, but honestly the problem is that they love each other to a fault. Rather than being honest, they’ve survived by projecting falsehoods, thinking that is what will create happiness.
It’s a fascinating microcosm of the complexity of family relationships, further amplified by race and gender politics from the 1950s-1970s. While I was entranced by the story from the beginning two sections really stood out for me: Chapter Seven, when the mysteries of Lydia start to become clear, and Marilyn’s confrontation of James’ graduate student.
These showcase Ng at her best, applying a surgeon’s precision to the pacing, dialogue and characterizations. It’s rich, yet restrained storytelling that leaves you in awe. No longer was an observer, I felt the pain of the characters.
The audiobook was narrated by Cassandra Campbell, who last year made it on my worst narrators list. She does a passable job here, but I think not casting Asian talent was a miss and her delivery - especially of Marilyn - still grated my nerves. Even with my perceived shortcomings of the performance, it didn’t hinder Ng’s words.
Rating (story): 5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: January 22 – January 28, 2023
Multi-tasking: Okay, as long as you focus on tasks that allow you to concentrate on the story. If your mind starts to wander, you’ll miss out on Ng’s subtleties.
