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

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Everything I Never Told You is aptly named because none of the characters talk to each other in the whole book. There's dialogue, but no one is saying anything important and especially not what they're thinking. The reader knows what they're thinking because that's most of the book.

At one point, I remember thinking, this is the most depressing book I've ever read. And I was reliving some wild childhood traumas. (Though my childhood was blessedly different than this dysfunctional mess, I still resonated strongly with some of the sentiments of all three children.)

But it honestly gets better. The ending is hopeful though still sad. It does leave you feeling bereft tho (my favorite kind of novel takeaway.)

The "twist" in Lydia's death felt like missing a step on the stairs. I was so so so certain that she just straight up killed herself. But to find out it was actually an accident... Oof.

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Infidelity, Death, Grief, Racial slurs, and Racism