Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Tout ce qu'on ne s'est jamais dit by Celeste Ng

260 reviews

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is one sad family!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I think I have become a Celeste Ng fan girl now. The writing is beautiful and mesmerizing  - such great storytelling! I disliked every character except Nathan and Hannah (spelling? I consumed this book via audiobook). Narcissists all around. I recognized so many scenarios from my own family dynamics and those of my friends'. I find it interesting that some reviews I have read said these characters weren't believable. I whole-heartedly disagree with that sentiment and am certain that those reviewers aren't paying attention to others in their lives, are like one of the parents in the book themselves, or live very fortunately charmed lives. 

I think Celeste Ng does a great job threading context/ characters' histories into the current narrative. That story telling tool often irritates me but she does it so well that it doesn't feel like an interruption. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

this book was sad. like so sad I think it might have been to the detriment of the book's overall quality because I'd feel sick reading it. so incredibly sad I thought about tabling it, but Ng is such a great writer that I couldn't bring myself to do it.
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.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I didn’t love this book but I can see how people do.

What I did like is that it centers around a normal, everyday family. No fantastical story arcs, twists and turns, or serial killers hidden throughout the pages. Just… real people.

What I didn’t love was how slow of a slow burn it was. It was a long, loooong character study of the Lee family—each grappling with the struggles of life and how lack of communication can slowly destroy relationships. The nature of the book is also very heavy, which (somehow) caught me off guard. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings