This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s senior fall editorial intern Arianna Nahim. Find her on Instagram at @ariannanahim. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
As an English major, I’m often told which books to read for a semester’s curriculum. Boring old dead white dude for this class, boring old white dude for that class, with the occasional diversity pick mixed in. By the end of this semester, I was ready not to touch a book for the whole summer. But then I remembered why I wanted to be an English major in the first place. Since I can remember, I’ve had an enormous love for the vast world of literature and all that it includes. While sterotypically we see scientist attempt time travel or travel between different universes, us readers know we’ve already accessed that. Reading, it is the only thing that gives us the ability to do both of those things. To read is to be consumed by something you’ve never experienced and meet people you may never come across in real life. It’s truly a beautiful thing to experience and I was forgetting that. So, I became determined to rekindle my love for books and decided this flame needed an extreme solution.
With a new determination, I dove headfirst into 15 books. They varied in genres. I read a couple of greek mythology retellings, a fantasy that involved prodigy and war, and a historical fiction series based on the last empress of China. But after 15 books, one in particular has managed to stick with me throughout the whole summer. This book has become one of my favorite books and something I think everyone should read.
As I made my way through the tranquil aisle that housed an unopened world of favorite characters, authors, and more, I let myself be inspired as I browsed through the shelves. I was a day away from a week long family vacation and I knew I’d need a good book. I was also going to quit using TikTok cold turkey that week in order to reset my dopamine receptors. While I love the app, overusing has negative effects that can lead to habits that don’t help an individual. I kept searching through the shelves, spotting works I had already read before and almost wishing I hadn’t. If I hadn’t then I’d have something to read and be able to fall in love with the words waiting for me in that book again. Like fate, alas I stumbled upon a book that I couldn’t guess would become my new favorite book and a stand out in my summer reading.
“All That’s Left Unsaid”: by Tracey Lien, a page-turning murder mystery that is unlike any other. It has complicated family dynamics, themes of immigrant communities, a coming-of-age friendship, and a protagonist who is just trying her best under the crushing weight of all that came before her and all that lies ahead. “All That’s Left Unsaid,” shows us that the past, presence, and future are all at play in every situation. Nothing is as it seems, and in this life, we must understand that if we are ever to comprehend a shred of it.
While Lien’s story is not one that everyone can relate to, it is one that everyone should read. Lien offers her hand to readers and says, “Let me show you the puzzle pieces that have influenced not just who I am but who these characters are.” Along the journey, readers will find themselves not just as passersby but as bystanders with the knowledge to digest every situation that arises in the book accurately. In just one chapter, Lien creates multidimensional characters; without them, the story wouldn’t be the same. As Ky, our protagonist, collects testimonies from the various individuals who witnessed her brothers murder, we not only learn what they saw that night, but why they didn’t speak out. Bouncing through different characters can be challenging as many authors struggle to make every character meaningful and convince audiences of that. Lien, however, never faces this problem. Her writing is done so well that every word, every character, and every moment is purposeful. Her story is an intricate web that is woven with intention and impact. As a reader, after every revelation to a character’s significance you will still think to yourself, “Oh! That’s why we needed that.” Even though in the moment you may not understand why a certain character is being focused on you’ll still be engrossed in every word, Lien makes sure of that. Learning about each character gives readers a deep and reasoned explanation to a characters motivations, habits, reasonings, and importance. They all truly show the power of a dominio effect.
When I stumbled across this book, I was wary of whether or not I’d be able to get through it. A 20-something-year-old Vietnamese-Australian who wants to find out how her 18-year-old brother was just suddenly murdered. Would this be a piece of work that, while respectable in its own right, was one that I could blindly go into? Or would the foundational themes that held together this book, like the history of Australian refugees, Australian-Vietnamese neighborhoods, and the heroin issue that took these communities by storm, be lost on me? Lien’s unique crafting of her story made that impossible. Instead, when I walked away from that final page, I felt more informed about the world and mindful of a community through a brilliant story. This is what makes reading so special.
Without this book I most likely would’ve never learned about the heroin epidemic of the 90s in Australia. I wouldn’t have been able to see it’s effects on a marganilized community like the Vietnamese neighborhoods in Australia. And, with the way Lien writes I genuinely felt so invested in all the characters stories. These characters who contain tropes of individuals that I’ll most likely never come across personally. Yet, now I feel like I have.
So, if you are looking for your next read, a book to get you out of your slump or a book to get you into reading, then I would strongly suggest Tracy Lien’s All That’s Left Unsaid. A perfect 10/10 that shows non-readers the beauty of contemporary fiction and reminds regular readers.
Do you agree with this All That’s Left Unsaid book review? Let us know in the comments below!
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