A review by alexandras_reads
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

5.0

Each character holds such a deep and intense life that I could not stop reading. I did not expect Ng to attach such in-depth detail to each character, but I am so glad she did. Ng touches upon issues regarding racism, ethnicity, pressure, and resentment. The father, James, is the son of immigrants who has faced countless forms of discrimination throughout his life, and while not the main point of the story, it plays such an important role in understanding Lydia and the other family members better. Ng’s depiction of pressure put on Lydia by her mother, who is pressuring her to be self-sufficient and independent through studying, is important because it shows the conflict that many face when attempting to balance their own desires and other’s expectations. 

Lydia’s mother is obsessed with teaching Lydia that she never has to adhere to what is societally acceptable, that she is smart and can do anything she wants, specifically becoming a doctor. But this obsession runs so deep that Marilyn does not recognize that her daughter does not want this. She is pushing her own dreams, ones that were never achieved, onto her daughter. I have so many feelings about this entire story-line in the book that are too difficult to articulate over an instagram post, but i guess that is why i am so impacted by this read.