The debut novel of Celeste Ng (it’s pronounced ing) “Everything I Never Told You” was a wonderful piece of literature. The story is a dissection of a teenager’s death. Lydia was the apple of her parent’s eye and then she goes missing. The unraveling of the mystery surrounding her death opens up more questions than it provides answers.

Ng’s novel goes through all of the events leading up to this moment, from her parent’s relationship to her brother’s admission to Harvard. I thoroughly enjoyed the way she weaved together this sad and cautionary tale of a teenage girl and the family she was a part of.

There are some very important themes that Ng explores in this novel such as family expectations, interracial marriages and families, family roles, cultural norms, racism and prejudice. The way that Ng peels back the many layers and complexities of these complicated issues gives the reader pause to consider and show empathy to others in similar circumstances. Be it the issue of racism or family of origin roles and expectations there is much to learn from what Ng uncovers.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend you read it too!

Get a copy of “Everything I Never Told You” by Celeste Ng on Amazon here.