A review by ruisquared
Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The main themes and tropes were approached in a way that felt authentic to reality and the characters. While some less familiar with these situations might find the family's (especially James and Marilyn) struggles and demands of each other to be unrealistic or outright ridiculous, they are most assuredly quite accurate as well.
However, my main issue was not with the content or characters but the style of prose. This may be a matter of preference but I prefer a more lyrical approach with ambiguity left for the reader to make their own interpretations.
Here, there is a much more 'tell' approach as opposed to 'show' – again, a matter of opinion as to which you'd prefer, but I think especially for such a character-centric book the latter could perhaps be better suited.
However, my main issue was not with the content or characters but the style of prose. This may be a matter of preference but I prefer a more lyrical approach with ambiguity left for the reader to make their own interpretations.
Here, there is a much more 'tell' approach as opposed to 'show' – again, a matter of opinion as to which you'd prefer, but I think especially for such a character-centric book the latter could perhaps be better suited.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment and Infidelity