She has regrets from her time in college, and she tries to force Lydia to realise the dreams she herself never had chance to achieve.Īnd the children are all battling their own problems too, with Lydia experiencing a lot of inner turmoil as the only Chinese-American girl at her school. His wife Marianne has no qualms marrying the man she loves in a time when their marriage is frowned upon (and even illegal in some states)- but she too battles with her demons. As a Chinese boy growing up in 1950s America, James Lee is still battling insecurities about belonging and racism- and he pushes these attitudes on his children while they grow up. The story is told from various viewpoints, but in particular it looks at Lydia’s mother and father, Marianne and James, her brother Nath, and her sister Hannah.Īs the book goes on, it is clear that every member of the Lee family has their issues- and these issues have been affecting the family unit for a long time.

The book then considers the aftermath of her death, how the family copes with the loss- and it goes back in time to the events leading up to Lydia’s disappearance and death, and even considers when Lydia’s mother and father first met. ‘Everything I Never Told You’ is about a young girl, Lydia Lee, who goes missing at the start of the novel. While Marilyn relentlessly pressures Lydia to become a doctor, James projects his own deepest insecurities onto Lydia in the form of pressuring her to be popular at school.I recently finished reading ‘Everything I Never Told You’ by Celeste Ng, and after loving ‘ Little Fires Everywhere‘ by the same author I was excited to delve back into another Celeste Ng novel. James’ consistent experience of racism and isolation affects his career, family, and personal happiness. At the time James meets Marilyn, he is hoping to be hired as an assistant professor in the Harvard history department despite being the best graduate student, James is rejected from the position, likely because of his race and social unpopularity. The subject of his research, cowboys, is rather ironic, considering that he feels racially marginalized and excluded from American culture. As an undergraduate and then graduate student in the history department at Harvard, he doesn’t have any friends. Although James was born in the United States, he never feels like he fits into American society. Before their deaths, both of his parents worked in the cafeteria of Lloyd Academy, a prestigious prep school which James attended for free after passing the entrance exam.

Everything i never told you about