Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

In this story of an Asian American family in the 60s and 70s we're told the story of how expectations can destroy us and the tragedy of words never spoken. Lydia is gone, Nath can't wait to get away, Hannah is invisible, Marilyn wants her daughter to be everything she never could be, and James wants to pretend that he is nothing like his son. In this complicated portrait of a family, we see each person and how they fit together, even when they don't make the effort to fit. "Everything I Never Told You" is the tragedy of everything they thought they would have another chance to say and how that tragedy changes each member of the family forever.

This novel was gripping and heart wrenching and honestly ruined a nights sleep. I couldn't stop crying after I finished it, even after I got past the sadness of the novel. It gave me permission to feel many of the feelings I had been holding back, which was cathartic in the most unexpected of ways. It's a heartbreaking reminder that the future is never promised and we should make every moment count.

I would recommend this book, but I must warn that it closely contends with teen suicide, which may make it a difficult read for many (hence many of my tears). But sometimes we need to read hard books in order to break down walls we didn't know we still had. 

XO, Ellen