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I absolutely loved this story. Celeste Ng’s writing is incredibly smooth and effortlessly elegant. This is my first Celeste Ng novel and to say I’m pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Adult literary fiction is a genre that makes me extremely nervous. I knew this book was short but it still managed to scare me so when I finished this story in less than three days, I was shocked.
This story revolves around the death of one of the children of an interracial couple living in Ohio. We get to follow this family as they recount their steps and particular moments of their past in an attempt to deal with their sudden and unimaginable loss. So many important topics were discussed in this book: racism, women’s rights, parental pressure, academic pressure, and the desire for acceptance. There were so many topics and discussions of various kinds of equality throughout this book.
This book was incredibly heavy in symbolism. Everything from the presence of a family cookbook, the blue eyes of one of the children, and even the youngest and most quiet child all had a special meaning.
Celeste Ng’s writing style made the reading experience very interesting. Her writing style in this book is somewhat circular. I love how we started off the story and ended it at the same point. The way Ng weaved through the different storylines of each family member and somehow ended up circling back towards that first moment, that first scene, was so well done. We got to see the unraveling of this family from each and every member’s POV and it gave us insight into the things we didn’t see in the beginning.
And always, I appreciate well done flawed characters and this tiny book, as short as it is, had many. I love how much I hated some of these characters but still found parts of them to be relatable. Ng explored some of the most important moments of each family member’s pasts that stripped them raw and revealed their deepest secrets and desires. The deep dive into their character really showed who exactly they are and what they’re made of. The knowledge of their roots and the reasoning behind many of their actions made me deeply uncomfortable at times but also somehow left me deeply invested in their storylines.
I also really liked how Lydia’s role in this story had such an impact on each of the four storylines. Her role in the family was more than just a daughter or sister. She was the hopes and desires of the parents. She was the “perfect” blue eyed baby made up of all the tiny pieces the parents gave up of themselves or were robbed.
One of the main reasons why this is a five star read is because of how much I saw both myself and some of my family members in the story. The amount of work that my mom had to go to get a respectable career in a world dominated by men is so motivating to me but equally infuriating. I’m also in a male dominated career. I was maybe one of three girls in most of my major classes.
I saw myself in many of these characters, especially Lydia. Growing up with so many expectations as a first generation child of immigrants led me to a life of wanting to do nothing but please my parents. Pleasing feels like the only option because my parents gave up so much and work so hard so that I can have a decent life.
But somewhere along the way, just as many of these characters, I lost my sense of identity. I felt silenced and started to hide what I love like Nate, I felt like I was being pushed into the ground like Lydia, and I was struggling to hide my food from the kids who wouldn’t sit near me like the father.
I think that this is an important book. I know not everyone will see themselves in the story but I think that it should be added onto academic syllabi as it talks about very important topics that don’t get enough spotlight. It features POC characters, an interracial marriage, and a plethora of diversity whether it be gender, race, and even mind sets.