In Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, a Chinese American family lives in Ohio during the 1970s. Lydia, a teenager and the middle child, is pressured by her parents to live the life they didn’t have. Her mother pushes her to be a doctor while her father constantly encourages her to socialize with others as a chance to be popular at school. One day, Lydia is found dead at the neighborhood lake. This novel unravels the cause of her death by exploring each member of her family and sharing their stories.
This was such a wonderfully written novel. It flows very nicely, as the author contrasts the story with snippets of the past and present. I felt that I had a deep understanding of each character by the end of the novel. It was interesting to read how each character was involved in each others’ lives, such as how Nath supported Lydia and how Hannah silently observes everything from the periphery. I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars just because it didn’t involve as many plot twists as I expected, but it was an enjoyable read. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading realistic fiction.