by Celeste Ng
First published 2014
Lydia Lee is dead, though her family doesn't know it yet. As the Lees grapple with the sudden loss, long-buried tensions and secrets come to the surface, tearing them apart. Marilyn, the grief-stricken mother, seeks answers and retribution. Lydia's father James is consumed by guilt. Her brother Nathan suspects a local troublemaker. But it's young Hannah, the family's quiet observer, who may hold the truth about what really happened. A sensitive exploration of family, identity, and the weight of unspoken expectations.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Ohio
Period: 1970's
297 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: mental-illness