From the very first lines we know that Lydia is dead. Lydia is an enigma as each version of this Chinese-American teenager told by her family and friends is dependent upon the narrator. Brilliant/a failing student; popular/no friends; family orientated/a rebel. Slowly, over time and using flashbacks Celeste Ng reveals the rather complex life of Lydia and her family and what really happened that night. Accident, murder or suicide – all characters have an opinion and it is only when the description of that final night comes towards the end that the reason is revealed but by this stage it hardly matters because the reader has been rung through the mill with all the little and big betrayals everyone has had to go through.
The themes include exceptionalism and bias and, topically, the privilege that those living within the majority group don’t even realise they have.
The story ends up being about what Lydia has lost out on, everything they never told her.
9/10
Everything I Never Told You- Celeste Ng
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Onlinemarymary
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Re: Everything I Never Told You- Celeste Ng
Sounds good. Odd name. I suspect she is Chinese. How did you find her? I'd be interested to see the style. Is it a translation?
Edit: Chinese American. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeste_Ng
Edit: Chinese American. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeste_Ng
Yes this is the real "Little John" (or it could be "colin")
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Onlinemarymary
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Re: Everything I Never Told You- Celeste Ng
You can read a little here. Probably available through online library loans. I bought it in 2018 and just got around to reading it.