Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Everything I Never Told You

 Everything I Never Told You

Author : Celeste Ng

Year : 2014

Publisher : Penguin books

Language : English

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Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . . So begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.

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Finally, I take a break from any Japanese Book for awhile just to clear my mind from the darkness of my mind (see how 'they' affect too much in my brain!). Everything I Never Told you is an American Artsy with touch of 'oriental' taste both from the author and the theme.

Here is a family, a noble family. The father is a professor, the Mother is a smart woman who want to pursue her career in mid 70's (which almost impossible-because that time, woman treated as a house-caretaker), and three beautiful mix-races daughters and son, Nathan, Lydia and Hannah. 

The Father, Lee is a Chinese immigrant, going through poverty and inequality to prove his position in University. Meanwhile  Marilyn is a true American Woman with bright brain and visions. But when she met Lee at the lecture where Lee act as lecturer, everything is change. Everything which was matter become irrelevant. She fallen in love, and keep her dream in somewhere (maybe) in the future.

They got married, and having two beautiful babies, Nathan and Lydia. For several years, Marilyn as happy as housewife, during her chores everyday to taking care her husband and children. Until her mother suddenly died. She has cut their communications since the day Marilyn married Lee. Her mother's disapproval eyes made Marilyn stay away from her mother. 

Leaving her family behind, she came to her hometown to take care her mother funeral. Looking past how her mother live, Marilyn got scared-that she finally become her mother. A housewife whom living alone, far away from her children until she died. On her way back to her house, Marilyn decide to runaway, leaving her family and start a new life. She want to continue her-interrupted-study and become a doctor. She want to forget everything include her boy and girl. 

Until she found out, she's pregnant with Hannah. She forced back to her house, met her daily ritual again. But Marilyn soul is never comeback. She is got different. She doesn't want to cook anymore. Meanwhile her family, too afraid to lost her again, accept the change silently.

That was the start of everything happen in that family until the top of that, Lydia's death. Slowly Celeste is 'telling' what happen to that family, and explain what makes that family torn apart. The half end of the book itself telling how they cope their lost in every different way.

At first, I am so impressed with Celeste's diction, also how smooth the plot. Unfortunately, the second half of the book, I get bored. Because everything is solved in the middle. I demand another puzzle in the end, and I didn't get it. That's why so many readers feels like treated as stupid reader because Celeste literally telling us what happen, not show it. As if, we-the readers didn't have the ability to predict what happen, or solve the mystery.

Well, overall, this book is great! The family theme, and lost feeling are captured perfectly, also the issue of how Asian raise their children forcefully. I think most Asian can relate the story of Lydia.

Anyway for a debut, of course this book is great!