Families are full of secrets no matter how open they may seem, but only some have disastrous outcomes, as seen in Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.
Lydia Lee is dead. Her parents, older brother Nath, and younger sister Hannah don’t know that yet though. Once they become alarmed by her disappearance and involve the police in the search, they wind up finding her drowned in the lake near their home. As Lydia doesn’t know how to swim, her mother Marilyn is convinced that someone has done this to her daughter, while her father James is less convinced of that fact. As the family comes to terms with Lydia’s death, secrets that each of the family members hide from one another come to the surface, forcing the family to confront the issues that create pressure and threaten the delicate balance keeping the Lees together.
Starting with a powerful and startling statement, the beautifully written narrative captures your attention from the outset, drawing you in to learn more about how Lydia died. Pervasive and timeless societal issues are delicately explored in the text, including parents living vicariously through their child(ren), trying to fit in with peers, and managing grief. In weaving together the intricate stories of the family members, there’s a psychological element to the narrative that is thrilling, yet the ending is weak and out of place with preceding text; it feels like an attempt to be more literary with the character study instead of the psychological aspect that pervades the rest of the story.
Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
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