MIXING UP LITERATURE

mixing up literature!

If you had to bake a cake, where would you start?  You would probably get out the ingredients you need, and determine how much of each were required to create a final product.  Understanding how recipes work, you would make sure to include everything, as leaving out the sugar or baking soda would make the cake taste different.  However, this concept of cumulative combinations is not limited to baking- in fact, it can be applied to literature.  Similar to how a baker works with a specific mixture of ingredients, a novelist uses literary techniques to create a coherent story.

The novel “Everything I Never Told You” by Celeste Ng is a prime example of the combination and taste present in a recipe.  Throughout the book, Ng reveals small bits of information that contribute to a sense of depth.  Similar to a step-by-step guide, Ng’s writing choices combine to form a tangible and complete novel.   Her use of multiple perspectives, historical connections, and structural deconstructions make the plot more thorough, and ultimately, more real.

One interesting technique that extends the depth of the story is the third person omniscient perspective.  Instead of focusing on one person, Ng switches between the narratives of multiple characters.  Clues and observations from a variety of sources provide key information, and contribute to a sense of entirety.  A great example of this is the unspoken reactions of Lydia's family members.  Through Hannah, we learn that Lydia left the house willingly, and through Nath, we learn that Jack might have been involved.  With this thoroughness of context, we can further interpret what happened, and make our own predictions. Another stylistic choice that contributes to reader understanding is the author's use of a dynamic structure.  Similar to her constant “switching” of narration, Ng writes from a variety of times in the story’s plotline.  Through this method, background information and character development are illustrated more thoroughly.  One particularly interesting section was chapter two, a flashback into the young adult lives of Marilyn and James.  This reference to the history of the Lee family reveals both the characters’ depths and their motivations.

Finally, aside from her effective literary techniques, Ng’s choices in content extend the story’s meaning. To further the scope of the timeline, Ng connects the plot of “Everything I Never Told You”  to historical patterns and culture.  The most prevalent theme is racism- through dialogue and narrative, Ng displays how discrimination impacts the Lee family.  An example of this cultural connection is the description of James’s childhood: “He [James] spent twelve years at Lloyd and never felt at home […] everyone seemed to be descended from a Pilgrim or a senator or a Rockefeller.” (Ng 44)   Here, Ng illustrates the time period through the presence of Asian racism and references to white upper-class culture.  This use of historical context enhances the setting and the connects the characters to realistic society.

me thinking about oreos

Combining a versatile perspective with background information and historical context, Celeste Ng bakes a rich and thorough story.  Without each of these components, the plot would be less thorough, and ultimately, less “tasty” to read.