from inside flap of the hardcover copy
Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . . So
begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American
family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of
Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her
mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents
are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to
pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a
homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with
a busy social life and the center of every party.
When Lydia’s
body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has
been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to
confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them
apart. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may
destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to
find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia’s older
brother, Nathan, is certain that the neighborhood bad boy Jack is
somehow involved. But it’s the youngest of the family—Hannah—who
observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who
knows the truth about what happened.
A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home,
Everything I Never Told You
is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait,
exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family,
and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and
sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand
one another.
I'm about half way through this book, and it's a page turner.
What are you reading is hosted by
Sheila from book journey.
My computer is once again on the fritz so posts are irregular at best. See you soon I hope.
