All That’s Left Unsaid

tragedies happen and there is not always a satisfying reason for them

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien is an inter-generational family drama about the sudden and seemingly out-of-the-blue murder of a young man — a son, a brother, and a friend — and his older sister’s desperate mission to find the truth of what happened, even though everyone present in the busy restaurant that night claims not to have seen anything. The premise immediately reminded me of the excellent Everything I Never Told You and I felt vindicated when I saw that Celeste Ng blurbed this book. They share stories that are about a sudden and mysterious death of a teenager but are really about immigrant communities in xenophobic countries.

This book also looks at the intersections of a refugee group confronting a xenophobic post-colonial mainstream culture with drugs and abuse. The subject matter is heavy and the characters are all put through the wringer, so consider yourself warned. Drug addiction and its varying effects on people in its wake are a continuing thread through the story and Lien makes sure to add nuance to this difficult subject. It also sheds light on why many of the characters involved in the story and the mysterious death of the main character’s brother are reluctant to be forthcoming with any witness testimony. In the end, the reader does become enlightened about the mysterious and tragic death of Denny, but it is hard to say that this knowledge feels satisfying. It made the tragedy even sadder to me, but I think this is the point of the story. Tragedies happen and there is not always a satisfying reason for them. But the true tragedy in this story is the generational trauma, xenophobia, and drug addictions that made the mysterious death of Denny possible in the first place.

I have been slowly starting to read more books set in Australia, as it seems Australian authors are not well-represented in the bookshelves of British booksellers. All That’s Left Unsaid has joined Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter, Feeling Sorry for Celia, and Three Wishes, as one of my favorite stories set in Australia. All That’s Left Unsaid has a layer that much other coverage of Australia lacks: grappling with Australia’s colonial past and how it affects its current citizens and residents. I would like to expand my Australian literacy further in the future, and more Tracey Lien will certainly be on my list.