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A review by book_concierge
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
4.0
Audiobook performed by Cassandra Campbell.
4****
From the book jacket: “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. When Lydia’s body is found, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another
My reactions:
I love this kind of character-driven novel. Ng explores the nuances of family dynamics – how a parent’s own disappointments may translate into dreams for a child’s future, how a child may feel burdened by those dreams, how siblings may compete for or retreat from parental attention. More importantly, Ng looks at how everyone struggles to understand and love one another. And how large a role open communication (or lack of it) plays in our relationships.
Cassandra Campbell does a fine job narrating the audio version. She has good pacing, and I felt connected to the characters by her performance.
4****
From the book jacket: “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. When Lydia’s body is found, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another
My reactions:
I love this kind of character-driven novel. Ng explores the nuances of family dynamics – how a parent’s own disappointments may translate into dreams for a child’s future, how a child may feel burdened by those dreams, how siblings may compete for or retreat from parental attention. More importantly, Ng looks at how everyone struggles to understand and love one another. And how large a role open communication (or lack of it) plays in our relationships.
Cassandra Campbell does a fine job narrating the audio version. She has good pacing, and I felt connected to the characters by her performance.