Everything I Never Told You

By: Celeste Ng

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee - a girl who inherited her mother's bright-blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair.

Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfil the dreams they were unable to pursue. But Lydia is under pressures that have nothing to do with growing up in 1970s small town Ohio. Her father is an American born of Chinese immigrants and his ethnicity, and hers, make them conspicuous.

When Lydia's body is found in a lake, James is consumed by guilt and sets out on a reckless path. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to make someone accountable. Lydia's brother, Nathan, is convinced that local bad boy Jack is involved. But it's the youngest in the family - Hannah - who may be the only one who knows what really happened.

©2014 Celeste Ng (P)2014 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"[A] moving tale...of daughters for whom cultural disconnect is but the first challenge." (Vogue)

"The mysterious circumstances of 16-year-old Lydia Lee's tragic death have her loved ones wondering how, exactly, she spent her free time. This ghostly debut novel calls to mind The Lovely Bones." (Marie Claire)

"There is much here that might impress Pulitzer and Man Booker judges." (Mark Lawson, Guardian)

Gripping and sad

This is a perfect audiobook - Cassandra Campbell did an awesome job on this compelling and incredibly sad story.

Even better than Little Fires Everywhere

I love Celeste Ng's writing style which gets to the point straight away without unnecessary fluff. And yet her writing is still packed with emotion, and her characters are all so relatable. Even though I'm a man in my 30s I still act somewhat like Lydia around my parents.

This is one of my favorite books ever and I can't recommend it enough.

P.S. Cassandra Campbell did an excellent job narrating it.

loved this book. Didn't sleep til it was finished

loved this book. Didn't sleep til it was finished. I characters are so well illustrated and the story has real depth.

A must-listen

This novel is heartbreakingly sad, but I couldn't stop listening. It is complex and beautiful

Exceptional!

I read this because I loved "Little Fires Everywhere" by the same author, and this was just as good. Celeste Ng is my new favourite author!

I kept falling asleep

I just could not get into this one. The story is slow to develop and doesn’t seem to go anywhere. The narrator’s voice also seems slow and sad and I kept drifting or nodding off.
I could not finish this book.