What a Book: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Seldom am I engaged with a book so much that it troubles me after I've put it down. Such is the case with Celest Ng's novel, Everything I Never Told You.

Thanks to my book club friend Mary Anne, I was lent this novel after our last book club meeting. With my ongoing resolution to not purchase books, a lent book is such a wonderful gift! This novel was no exception...In fact it was a treat because it was such an engaging story.

Here's a quick synopsis from iTunes Preview:

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.

This story is so much more than a "Who Dunn It?" mystery. As iTunes says, it is 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 would also add that it explores relationships among siblings, and how each one's experiences interpreted so differently for the others in the family.

I found this novel very unsettling; incredibly well written and Ng manages to painted such a foreboding atmosphere within this family. Here's a little chat with the author:

I think this novel could make a great movie also. Enjoy and Thank You Mary Anne!

It's a Long Story (...And I Read it All...) by Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson...Everything You Never Really Cared to Know...And So Much More!!!

A country music icon with so many stories, he's how WN summarizes his most recent autobiography:

"What I say is that this is the story of my life, told as clear as a Texas sky and in the same rhythm that I lived it. 

It's a story of restlessness and the purity of the moment and living right. Of my childhood in Abbott, Texas, to the Pacific Northwest, from Nashville to Hawaii and all the way back again. Of selling vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias while hosting radio shows and writing song after song, hoping to strike gold. 

It's a story of true love, wild times, best friends, and barrooms, with a musical sound track ripping right through it. 

My life gets lived on the road, at home, and on the road again, tried and true, and I've written it all down from my heart to yours. 

Signed,
Willie Nelson -

Can't say that I'm a Willie Nelson fan--I've enjoyed a few of his songs along the way. I was surprised to learn just how many of the country hits have been written by him. For example; the classic, and maybe one of my top 5 songs ever "Crazy" as sung by Patsy Cline.

He's old. He's stoned. Still writing country music, and still getting thrown into jail for possession of marijuana. Has had 4 wives...at one point he was married to 2 women at the same time, but he dismisses this with a 2 line comment.

That him...WN.

He has 7 kids by 4 different wives...His son from his first marriage died, but WN offers no details, and avoids the entire discussion of his children throughout the book.

The autobiography was like an agenda recap. Tales of gigs, and troubles. However, I found this autobiography devoid of serious self reflection. It's a safe re-tell that glosses over issues that really would be interesting to explore. Compared to Keith Richard's harrowing story in his autobiography "Life", Nelson scrapes the surface and stuffs lyrics after lyrics to seemingly fill the pages.

Not recommending this one...I'm no better for having read it, and I can't get back the time it took to read!

NEXT...

All the Light We Cannot See

2015 Winner of the Pulitzer

What a way to start our 2016 Book Club reading.

We were really fortunate to have chosen All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Here's a quick summary:

"From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. 

When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge." 


http://www.anthonydoerr.com/books/all-the-light-we-cannot-see/

The book club's discussion today was very fruitful too. Of all attendees, only one hadn't read the novel...Most of the other ladies enjoyed it thoroughly.

The Author...Hope He's Busy Writing
More Fiction for ME!!!

Perfect Place for This Perfect Book

We agreed that is was a rich story that was cleverly woven together. The shifts in time were interesting, and the wide range of characters with different experiences and perspectives was fascinating.

The only lady that didn't enjoy it, indicated that she had heard many stories about traumas of WW2, and as such, didn't enjoy the story. She also mentioned that her reading of the story was often interrupted. In my opinion, it's hard to enjoy any novel that requires some attentive reading if you are constantly having to put it down and attend to other things.

Personally, I devoured this novel over the Christmas break and savoured the last 40-50 pages on the trip down to Playa Del Carmen in Mexico.

Breaking Away by Patrick O'Sullivan

Mandatory Reading for
All Hockey Parents?

Breaking Away is the harrowing autobiography of exNHL player Patrick O'Sullivan, who was physically, mentally, and emotionally abused by his father as a child and youth.

From the first page, until the last bitter page, I felt his pain and suffering, and wanted to reach into his past and help him.

Turns out, his father, John O'Sullivan, was one of those nut bar parents that you see yelling at their kid in your local hockey arena. His father would constantly push for more--even when his son delivered award and achievement after award and achievement. John O'Sullivan was never happy with his son...Always abusive and demeaning.

In his telling of events, Patrick O'Sullivan holds nothing back. He details his depression, fears and insecurities. His honesty and openness is to be commended. I don't know many men who could share this type of story, and for this offering, he must be thanked.

His father stole his freedom to enjoy his childhood. There is no question that this abuse isolated him from his peers, and although he was a great player, it's hard to imagine all of the fun, and enjoyment he missed because he wasn't allowed to play or associate with players of his own age. I watch my son joke around and enjoy the company of his fellow team mates, and I cannot imagine depriving him of this youthful joy.

He Made it to the Show...
But at What Cost?

Patrick does revisit his childhood coaches to find out if they were complicit in the abuse by turning blind eyes to obvious ongoing neglect and crime.

While it was well written, it was such a hard read. It haunts me every day, especially when I am at the arena or at tournaments with my kids. I look at parents differently, and I have changed my approach to watching the game.

If one good thing comes from O'Sullivan's life history, I believe it is that he has made others more aware that there are parents that go way beyond normal encouragement of their children, and we must take action when we witness possible imbalances, and abuse.  Having read this book, I know that I will not stand by if I suspect abuse on the part of parents.

PO: Wishing You Only Happiness
in Your Future!

I wish O'Sullivan peace in his future, and I hope that he is surrounded by loving people who care about him, with or without (hockey) success.

If I could speak with O'Sullivan I would thank him for sharing his experiences, and I would encourage him to continue working on his journey. I would wish him very blessing in his efforts as a kind and gentle father to his children.

P.S. Jan 20, 2016: I wrote a quick note of Thanks to Patrick c/o Harper Collins Canada. Wishing him much happiness with his new and loving family. 

The Rosie Effect: Beach Read in Mexico

The sequel to The Rosie Project

Read The Rosie Effect on the beach in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico on Dec 26-27.  I enjoyed Graeme Simsion's sequel to The Rosie Project. It was entertaining with several laugh out loud moments. Excellent beach reading.

Author Graeme Simsion

Mixes Well With Mexican Margaritas