Everything I Never Told You

As the story opens, Lydia, the middle and favorite child of James and Marilyn Lee is missing and in short order found dead in a nearby lake. This leads the reader to believe this is a puzzle mystery. How and why did this teenage girl die? But in reality the book is so much more. It's about the consequences of dysfunctional family dynamics and the heaviness that hovers over those with failed dreams.

The Lees feel inadequate because they are different; James is an American born Asian man married to Marilyn, the quintessential blued eye girl and in small town Ohio in the 70s ,they are noticed. Tangled emotions surface and play out as this family deals with the grief of losing Lydia and each member faces the consequences of the choices they have made. I really appreciate a good debut novel and this was such a book. I also love books that cross the cultural divide.