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Everything I Never Told You

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About this listen

Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee - a girl who inherited her mother's bright-blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair.

Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfil the dreams they were unable to pursue. But Lydia is under pressures that have nothing to do with growing up in 1970s small town Ohio. Her father is an American born of Chinese immigrants and his ethnicity, and hers, make them conspicuous.

When Lydia's body is found in a lake, James is consumed by guilt and sets out on a reckless path. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to make someone accountable. Lydia's brother, Nathan, is convinced that local bad boy Jack is involved. But it's the youngest in the family - Hannah - who may be the only one who knows what really happened.

©2014 Celeste Ng (P)2014 Blackstone Audiobooks Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

"[A] moving tale...of daughters for whom cultural disconnect is but the first challenge." (Vogue)

"The mysterious circumstances of 16-year-old Lydia Lee's tragic death have her loved ones wondering how, exactly, she spent her free time. This ghostly debut novel calls to mind The Lovely Bones." (Marie Claire)

"There is much here that might impress Pulitzer and Man Booker judges." (Mark Lawson, Guardian)
All stars
Most relevant
Not as exquisitely plotted as Little Fires Everywhere (which is the better book) but just as engrossing and sensitively written. Her characters are always believable.

A smart, sensitive page turner

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This was my second Celeste Ng book and I have loved both. the narrator was perfect.

Brilliant

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I really enjoyed this book, it beautifully described relationships & captured life almost poetically. I felt it understood love, loss & grief well & was heartfelt. Narrated extremely well too. Very well done.

A Beautifully written book

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I’ve been looking for a story like this my whole life. I have a Chinese father and white mother, I relate to so many of the themes explored in this book.

I appreciate how the story is told from multiple angles and without judgement, you get to hear from each character, and you sympathise with the backstories and the challenges they face that motivate their actions. The thing I appreciated most was how she captured the families inability to connect and communicate despite their loving intentions - how something that was said would be totally misinterpreted causing events to slowly spiral. To me, this is a relatable depiction of a multi-racial household! If anything, the death of middle daughter Lydia helped them course correct in learning to speak up and honour their true feelings.

I came to this having first read Celeste Ng’s “Little Fires Everywhere” having watched the tv dramatisation. I’m looking forward to digging deeper into her work.

This is the book I have been looking for

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What happens to a dream deferred? A whole lot, as it turns out, but it's not the only driving impetus at the heart of this novel. For the large part, Everything I Never Told You is about an ensemble of closely intertwined, complex and imperfect human beings who misunderstand and sometimes mislead each other because of all the things they haven't said to those who most need to hear. As the tragedy which lies at the centre of the story gradually unfolds, so the questions at the heart of every other character are answered. Sometimes people do the right thing, most often they do not, and this is how Celeste Ng brings home what it means to be human - with all our flaws, hurtful actions and cruel ways.
The narrator was perfectly suited to this audiobook. She did a masterful job with all the characters and captured them perfectly. I would happily listen to more of her work.
Highly recommended

A Great Listen

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