This book has been on my list for a while now. It worked out that one day in the Big Apple while visiting my sister and her fiancé, it rained. We looked for something to do. Matt suggested the Amazon Book store…. yes the Amazon book store (NYC has these things). Perfect opportunity to buy a new book, no?

Book Read: Everything I Never Told You
Author: Celeste Ng
Number of Books Read: 26 (the halfway point!)

I mentioned this has been on my list for a while. It’s the opening line in the description (also the first line in the book) that got me hooked… “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” What a line! It had me hoping this book would keep me turning the page like Into the Water or The Girl on the Train. Good news - this book lived up to my expectations.

Ng tells the story of biracial family in the 1970s. Lydia is the known favorite of Marilyn and James Lee. Ever since Marilyn didn’t get to complete her dreams of being a doctor, she is determined that her daughter have everything Marilyn never did, no matter the cost and what Lydia may actually want.

Lydia has been trying to please everyone since she was younger, when she promised herself she would always say yes to her mom because that would make her stay. Her brother Nath has never been enough. His dreams of space and exploration have always been second to Lydia. But Harvard is in his future and he doesn’t plan on turning back. Their younger sister Hannah is always an afterthought - once there was no place setting for her at the set table. But Hannah is observant and pays attention to what is always happening.

When Lydia is found, her family copes with determining who they are without her, what they did wrong, what they should have said and what they shouldn’t have. James finds comfort with another, Marilyn can’t accept the truth, Nath wants to blame one specific person, and Hannah watches as her family continues to fall apart.

Will the loss of Lydia make Marilyn and James notice their other children? Will Hannah speak up? Will Nathan accept there might not be blame to given? What happened to Lydia that night on the lake?

Ng’s writing is frankly brilliant. She writes of the present and the past, putting you in the heads of each character. By telling the Lee’s history, from when James and Marilyn met to the last day with Lydia, she lays out a story that is real, intriguing, and makes you realize the struggle of biracial families that probably still holds true today.

Another reason to read this book? Usually I can guess who did it or what happened. This one? Took me awhile to feel confident in my assumptions. That’s the sign of a good book (read Into the Water for another one of these).

The woman who sold me this book told me there was another one by Ng I should read after this one. I’m looking forward to it. (Did I mention Ng lived in Pittsburgh for a while? Should get her some bonus points in your book.)

Next Read: The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee