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phina04's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Emotional abuse, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Abandonment, Misogyny, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, and Suicide
beegster16's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Infidelity, Child death, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Alcohol
michaelion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Abandonment, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexism, Xenophobia, Death, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Physical abuse, Body horror, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Outing, Alcohol, Suicide, and Vomit
sophia2203's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Suicide, Bullying, Death, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Grief, and Misogyny
allidone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Sexism, Child death, Infidelity, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Misogyny
kxtekss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
this book will leave you feeling hollow, will force you to come face to face with everything in your life that you've done right and wrong, as if there can really be a right and a wrong. as the title implies, you'll think of everything these characters never tell each other and think of all the things you should say but couldn't, and the things you did say but didn't mean. this is my second novel by Ng, and I think this might be her specialty. she can create a story that is just so heartbreakingly beautiful.
Ng does a wonderful job of switching between the POVs of various characters, showing us what each person was feeling, how others interpreted it, and the reality of the consequences of their actions. I thought this is what made the book extraordinarily special---you were watching everyone's feelings unfold so fluidly before your eyes, and by the time you find out what happened to Lydia, you realize just how preventable it could have been.
again, it's a sad book, so caution going into it, but I'd suggest. personally, I think Ng might be one of the best contemporary writers out there.
Graphic: Misogyny, Child death, Grief, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Suicide, Infidelity, and Racial slurs
Minor: Outing and Homophobia
ptitirodactyle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Infidelity, Death, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Homophobia, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent and Outing
alisasreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Infidelity, Death, Misogyny, Violence, and Sexual content
bookwormfr_t0's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
There are so many themes in this novel, but one that really stood out to me was how parents insecurities and expectations can impact children in a variety of ways. Specifically, how parents regrets from their own lives form how they raise their children, which can have negative effects.
Ng does a beautiful job weaving this story so delicately together it is filled with emotion and is tragically sad. The way Ng writes the character thoughts and emotions (especially Lydia) is visceral and palpable.
**I do see that it is categorized as a 'mystery/thriller' here on Storygraph, do not go into this book expecting a thriller. This is a tragic character study of a family suffering from loss and crushing grief.**
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Racism, Grief, Infidelity, and Mental illness
mariaviola's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Child death
Moderate: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol