ReView: All the Things We Don’t Talk About by Amy Feltman

 “Are you lonely because of me, because I don’t ask the right questions, because I don’t need the same things you do?”

All the Things We Don’t Talk About by Amy Feltman is today’s domestic drama; a gorgeous, loving story about a truly modern family, the complicated thing we called love and all the things that get in the way.

Morgan, like any teenager, is just doing their best to survive after coming out as non-binary. Their dad Julian, who is neurodivergent and a single parent, has also done his best to give Morgan everything they need but often finds himself struggling to feel like he is doing so. Further complicating things is Zoe, Morgan’s troubled mother, who has just gone through a breakup and decided she wants to be part of Morgan’s life again. Her ex, Brigid, has developed a friendship with Julian which is brought on by some things missing in Brigid’s own life.

Feltman’s prose is an ease to read and allows the reader to quickly feel familiar with her  wonderful characters. Each character is beautifully defined through chapters centered on each, showing each as realistically imperfect, with backstories that feel organic. One of the best (and most complicated) examples of this is Zoe. As we cringe at her actions, we also start to understand not just her but those around her (especially Morgan).

There are ideas here that are beautifully explored throughout.  Each character is struggling with who they feel they need to be vs. who they are, whether to be in order to be able to show their love or their worth to the people around them. Each and every family has these issues, and seeing this depicted with a family we haven’t quite seen before is beautifully normalizing.

I was happy to see a main character that is non-binary, and as someone who feels they always have room to learn more, the consistent use of the “they” pronouns reminded me of their importance.  

All the Things We Don’t Talk About is a universal story showing us that even though each family is different in its own way, we’re all just trying our best to be understood and loved.