EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU

The title of the book seems apropos because Celeste Ng almost put me to sleep by not telling me anything. Sometimes I was in a semi hypnotic state. I kept saying to myself, “Lets get on with the murder already.” The author seemed to want to tell me...everything I never told you, considering that on page 194, I was still waiting to see if it was murder or suicide. Ng writes that the missing daughter received less than quality service from the police because she was a interracial child. Is the author making a tacit complaint? Marilyn Lee (the white mother), James Lee (the Chinese father), and daughter Lydia ( the victim) seemed unable to acquire friends; second daughter Hannah was only comfortable when dealing with distress by hiding under a end table (or something comparable); and Harvard bound son, Nathan, seemed almost to have a semi-benign The Oedipus Complex . Where is Sigmund Freud when you need him? If you are going to write a murder/mystery novel, practice by reading Agatha Christie. I’m not saying the book was godawful. What I’m saying is that the writer spent too much time on superfluous fluff. I know that a novel needs character history to make the reader feel empathy, but too much non-action leads to sleepy-eyes. But good news! The novel finally does ‘stir the feelings’ (nearly too late) and becomes a tasty tidbit. My question to Celeste Ng is: “Why did you take so long to get me in your corner?”

The story is simple. Lydia Lee (16 years old) is missing. It’s the 1970s in Middlewood,Ohio. Lydia doesn’t come down for breakfast (do you like my short sentences?). The Lees are alarmed and after awhile...they call the police. Officer Fiske shows up and doesn’t think that it’s a big deal: “Most missing-girl cases resolve themselves within twenty-four hours. The girls come home by themselves.” When the family protests, Officer Fiske says to James Lee, “Now, your wife also went missing once, I remember the case. In sixty-six, wasn’t it?” Mr. Lee says, “That was a misunderstanding, a miscommunication between my wife and myself. A family matter.” I didn’t like this rehashing of the missing mom. Why? Because it necessitated too many flashbacks of Marilyn Lee going back to school to become a medical doctor after her mother passed away (Marilyn’s mom hated the interracial marriage). Subsequently, Marilyn is gone from her family for nine weeks until she realizes that she is pregnant (with Hannah) and reluctantly she returns to her family. Flashbacks are always annoying to me especially when they don’t seem important to the story. Maybe I’m wrong (because this is a strong story), but my gut reaction is usually correct. Anyway, Lydia is found drowned in the local lake several days later. What was she supposedly doing inside a row boat in the middle of a lake during the wee hours of the morning? She couldn’t swim. Was she murdered? Was it a suicide, or a cognitive mistake? You will have to read the novel to find out.

Lets talk about the Freudian characters. I think this is the strong part of Celeste Ng’s novel...understanding human frailties, desires and flaws. That being said, let's meet some of the players: Mr. James Lee is a college professor teaching American History (specializing in cowboys!). When people are surprised that a Chinese gentleman is teaching ‘The Wild West’, his defensive answer is, “Well, I am American.” He doesn’t know how to make friends, but he seems to have an adequate role with women. He thinks his daughter, Lydia, is special and ignores his talented son, Nathan. Marilyn Lee sees her life trite as a housewife. She wanted to become a doctor but missed her chance. Now she puts pressure on Lydia to become that person. Lydia’s success is foremost in her life. She buys medical books for Lydia and forces her to take courses in H.S. that Lydia can’t handle or pass. Nathan Lee is the eldest. He loves aeronautics and would love to be an astronaut. He wants his mother’s attention, but mom only focuses on Lydia. Even when he is accepted to Harvard, mom and dad don’t seem rejoiced. Lydia hid his acceptance letter from him. Why? When Lydia’s dead body is found, Nathan suspects their high school neighbor, Jack Wolff, as the murderer. 

Okay, I left out the numerous mental problems that Lydia, Jack and Hannah have. If I told you about them, this review would be too long and revealing. While reading this novel, I wondered if the author suffered similar problems, or was this story purely a figment of her imagination. Her psychoanalytical concepts concerning the characters are delightful. Maybe I’m delving into this too much. Maybe Ng just wrote a book. But I think this is the kind of novel that can be debated by English Literature classes, especially in high school. So what do I think? Well, it’s the kind of novel that puts you in a semi coma, then wakes you up with a vengeance. It’s hard to believe that this is the author’s first novel. You might not like the outcome, but I thought it was apropos (same word I used in opening sentence). It’s not easy being a reviewer.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: Sometimes I wonder if I’m too easy on so-so novels and too tough on novels like the one I just reviewed. My answer is that I’m generally critical in my first paragraph with all my reviews. I might have a soft spot on my heart (if that’s possible) for the numerous indie writers out there, but I think authors like Ng need to hear reality before they can become great writers. I see too many one liner reviews like, “great read”, “highly recommend”, or “this book stinks.” What does that tell the prospective buyer or author? Nothing. I try to provide the future reader with a good understanding of what to expect and what the author’s book assimilates.

In the first paragraph I mentioned Agatha Christie (my favorite mystery writer). What are my favorite Agatha novels that I actually read? Well, here they are:

Murder on the Orient Express (1934), see my review of 3/12/2012. Goodreads.com says: "The glamorous Orient Express stops during the night, blocked by snowdrifts. Next morning the mysterious Mr. Ratchett is found stabbed in his compartment and untrodden snow shows that the killer is still on board. This glamorous era of train travel provides Poirot with an international cast of suspects and one of his biggest challenges. Predicated on an inspired gimmick, this is one of the great surprise endings in the genre.”

Death on the Nile (1937), see my review of 4/7/2012. Booksplease.org says: “Death on the Nile is a pre-Second World War novel, first published in 1937. It shows Agatha Christie’s interest in Egypt and archaeology and also reflects much of the flavour and social nuances of the pre-war period. In it she sets a puzzle to solve – who shot Linnet Doyle, the wealthy American heiress? Although the novel is set in Egypt, an exotic location, it is essentially a ‘locked room mystery’, as the characters are passengers on the river-steamer SS Karnak, cruising on the Nile. Amongst them is the famous Hercule Poirot, a short man dressed in a white silk suit, a panama hat and carrying a highly ornamental fly whisk with a sham amber handle – a funny little man (pages 37 –38). Linnet is the girl who has everything, good looks and wealth.”

Five Little Pigs (1942), see my review of 7/5/2012. Goodreads.com says: “Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, but just like the nursery rhyme, there were five other “little pigs” who could have done it: Philip Blake (the stockbroker), who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist), who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcée), who had her roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess), who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister), who cried all the way home.Sixteen years later, Caroline’s daughter is determined to prove her mother’s innocence, and Poirot just can’t get that nursery rhyme out of his mind.”

Actor David Suchet as Agatha’s famous Belgium sleuth, Hercule Poirot