logo
episode-header-image
May 2018
50m 3s

Celeste Ng: Everything I Never Told You

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Presenter Lawrence Pollard talks to chart-topping Chinese-American writer Celeste Ng and an audience gathered in the local Boston radio Newsfeed Café in the Boston Public Library about her bestselling novel Everything I Never Told You.

In 1970s small-town Ohio Lydia is the favorite child of parents, determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Chinese-American Lee family together is destroyed. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, racism and longing, Everything I Never Told You uncovers the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.

(Photo: Celeste Ng. Credit: Kevin Day Photography)

Up next
Jul 5
Graeme Macrae Burnet
On this episode of ‘World Book Club’ Harriett Gilbert speaker with with Graeme Macrae Burnet about his riveting historical crime novel ‘His Bloody Project’ Set in a remote Scottish community in the 1800s, the story centres on a brutal triple murder and the person who admits guilt ... Show More
49m 20s
Jun 7
N.K Jemisin
In this episode of World Book Club, Harriet talks with one of the world’s best-loved sci-fi and fantasy authors, the four time Hugo award winner N.K Jemisin. Which of her plethora of books did we choose? Her 10th novel, and love letter to New York, ‘The City We Became’.The story ... Show More
55m 43s
May 3
Abdulrazak Gurnah: Paradise
Harriett Gilbert talks with Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah about his hauntingly beautiful novel Paradise.It tells the story of Yusuf, a 12 year-old boy living in East Africa at the beginning of the 20th Century. Sold off to settle his father’s debts, Yusuf embarks on a journey ... Show More
49m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
New York's Chinatown Through the Eyes of a Family That's Been There for Generations
New York City's Chinatown is arguably one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world—and perhaps one of the most storied, too. Ava Chin, whose memoir, Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming, came out this spring, chats with Lale about the ap ... Show More
29m 2s
Mar 2024
Novelist Celeste Ng on the Big Power of Little Things
Before Celeste Ng became a best-selling author, she had a side hustle selling miniatures on eBay — dollhouse-size recreations of food were her specialty. Even after the publication of “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Everything I Never Told You,” and, most recently, “Our Missing Heart ... Show More
31m 59s
Mar 2020
The Nest, The Truth, The Bass Rock, Cranach at Compton Verney and Home Entertainment Recommendations
The Nest is the new Sunday night drama on BBC1 that raises questions around the ethics of surrogacy as a wealthy couple invite a young woman whose past is not known to them into their lives. The Truth is a French/Japanese production directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda who won the Palme ... Show More
46m 17s
Jan 2023
That Time Kate And William Broke Up
Prince William and Princess Kate, the perfect royal couple, a wonderful marriage, three beautiful children and a love story that won the world over... but was it really that perfect behind the scenes?  This episode Holly tells Shannen the real story of how Kate and Wills got toge ... Show More
20m 30s
Mar 2023
The Oscars Red Carpet & The Fall Of Jennifer Lawrence
On the show today… Channel 7 has released the first look at The Claremont Murders, a new two-part drama delving into one of Australia’s most famous murder cases and focusing on how the Claremont Killer was eventually caught. Here’s what you need to know. And it’s Oscars day! We b ... Show More
21m 14s
Jun 2023
The Jennifer Lawrence & Miley Cyrus 'Feud' Is Years In The Making
On the show today… Warner Bros and DC Studios have announced their new Clark Kent and Lois Lane. So, where does this leave former Superman Henry Cavill? We give you the scoop on James Gunn's new Superman: Legacy and its intriguing cast choices. And Lewis Capaldi has decided to ca ... Show More
17m 55s
May 2022
The Engagement | The Great Escape | 1
It's 1955. Aspiring writer Celeste Grainger has lived her whole life in the lap of luxury. Her rich father, Henry, has arranged everything for her: her clothes, her car, and unfortunately, even her marriage. Celeste is engaged to the boorish Philip, but on the evening of her lavi ... Show More
32m 21s
Aug 2023
‘Lonely-Kid’ Content. Heartwarming Or Creepy?
Listen here to find out the one thing Christopher Nolan bans from his movie sets Subscribe to Mamamia Is there a path back to the spotlight for Mr Big? Sex In The City actor Chris Noth has done his first interview since sexual assault allegations were levelled against him, we dis ... Show More
42m 27s
Mar 2023
There’s Something Unsettling About Lucy Liu’s New Interview
On the show today… If your news feeds are filled with photos of Gwyneth Paltrow walking into a courtroom this week, it’s because she’s being sued for an alleged ‘hit and run’ ski accident and her entire family is being called to testify. Here’s what you need to know. Plus, the fi ... Show More
20m 19s
Jul 2022
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt : l’enfant libre des Brangelina
C’est l’histoire d’une enfant made in Hollywood. Une enfant qui fait donc naturellement, à seulement quelques jours, sa première apparition publique sur la couverture du magazine People. Un bébé qui, à l’âge de 2 mois, bat déjà un record du monde : celui de la plus jeune personne ... Show More
18m 58s