Ratings198
Average rating3.9
The acclaimed debut novel by the author of Little Fires Everywhere and Our Missing Hearts “A taut tale of ever deepening and quickening suspense.” —O, the Oprah Magazine “Explosive . . . Both a propulsive mystery and a profound examination of a mixed-race family.” —Entertainment Weekly “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.
Reviews with the most likes.
Barely managed to hold back the tears at the last fifteen pages. Stunning.
Everything about this book is tragic – the main event, all of the relationships, all the things they never tell each other. Yet the story is so compelling. I was gripped, wanting to intervene and clear up misunderstandings between the characters and tell them all what they aren't seeing. It's such a strange feeling to enjoy a book so much that made me so sad.
What a beautiful, sad story. All the characters are so well done.
My chief beef with this book is that I thought it was going to be a thriller and it wasn't, really. As a novel about family life, it was quite good, especially regarding sibling relationships.