I went into this book not fully knowing what to expect, and boy was I surprised. For a first novel, Celeste Ng did an amazing job portraying the characters and displaying the complex relationships that helped shape them as individuals. The pressures of trying to meet expectations and fit in within a primarily white community are challenges all the characters seem to be facing in one way or another. For each member of the Lee family, the combination of coping with Lydia's death and wanting to know what happened puts a major strain on them, and they all choose to deal with it in different ways. 
 I highly recommend this book to others. Personally, I feel as though I haven't read a book quite like it before. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because I feel as though the ending for some of the characters were lacking. Even another page or so would have would have given just enough to tie up things much better for these few characters.