Everything I Never Told You

A really moving and sad story written by Celeste Ng called, Everything I Never Told You.  The first sentence sets the tone for the entire book, “Lydia is dead”…  Lydia, a sixteen year old girl is found dead in a lake not far from her house.  The rest of the book uncovers what happened along the way.  Lydia, a recluse daughter of James and Marilyn, has been taught to be shy and studious by her environment. She is a born from parents of two different cultures and races, Caucasian mother and Chinese father.  The book is set in 1977 in northern rural Ohio, where her father is a tenured history professor.  Lydia’s siblings, Nath, two years older, and Hannah, nine years younger, have all faced their fair share of stares and out-right racism, though it would not be referred to it in that day and age.  The series of events that led to her death will surprise the reader as the police deem her death a suicide.  Nath, a senior in high school, only four months from entering Harvard University as a first-year student; neighbor Jack, who grows up in a single parent household, and whose mother is a local doctor who works six days a week; and both her parents, who have had a difficult marriage, are all pivotal in the events that led to her death.  The story does an excellent job of capturing the challenges related to children born of mixed-race and heritage and how hard it is to be isolated at such a young age.  I will not ruin the ending of the story, but was surprised in what really happened.  Just goes to show, even in stories, like real life, listening intently to others can provide great clarity.  I sat down and read this book in three and a half hours as it was hard to put down.  I’d suggest this one for anyone with kids, and for those who don’t understand the complexity of multiple identities.