Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
3/5 stars ***
Courtesy: Audible
Premise- (3.5/5) Little Fires Everywhere was this month’s book club book, which is primarily why I picked it up. Also, though, it takes place in Shaker Heights, a community which I have lived right near for my university years, so that’s always interesting. The premise–single mother and artist shrouded in mystery moves in and long-held secrets of the past collide with community rules and events–was interesting. Plus, there was a lot of buzz when it came out and Hulu is currently working on a miniseries adaptation of the book. All in all, not something I’d usually pick up, but enough to grab my interest.
Characters- (5/5) I really enjoyed Ng’s characters. They were all deeply sympathetic, whatever their flaws. They were also, in some ways, very familiar. The white-suburban-liberal Richardson family had plenty of similarities to my own, and other families in my community growing up. With a fairly large cast of characters, from the six-member Richardson family to Mia and Pearl to the McCulloughs and Bebe Chow, Ng did a nice job of giving detail and nuance to all of them. Character relationships were multi-faceted, from Pearl and Moody to Lexie and Brian to Izzy and Mia to Pearl and Trip. Romantic relationships, friendships, and the bonds between parents and children, both biological and not, were thoroughly explored in this novel, and all given equal attention and concern. I also really liked the way Ng showed the contrast between Mia and Pearl’s lifestyle and the Richardsons, and what those differences meant to the characters. Ng did a really excellent job of demonstrating and explaining why characters acted and reacted the way they did, and I found her portraits convincing and interesting.
Plot- (3/5) I do feel like suspense for the plot was built up a little more in the premise than in the actual book. The book also took the approach where you know at least one major conclusion of the plot from the very first page–that the Richardson house burned down and that it was an act of arson committed by Izzy. Then it rewinds and builds up the circumstances that lead to that event, with side-trips into the pasts of our protagonists. In some ways, I found the plot pacing to be a little difficult. While it always kept me turning the pages, sometimes I found myself feeling like we were departing on tangents here and there. Though they always connected nicely in the end, it didn’t entrance me quite as completely as I’d hoped.
World- (5/5) Shaker Heights is a familiar community, as are white suburbia in general. There were a lot of particularities that Ng was very specific about. Her author bio mentions that she grew up in Shaker Heights, and reading that was very evident reading the book. Ng paid a lot of attention to the details that made the neighborhood real, though maybe I’m a touch biased due to my familiarity with Shaker Heights.
Writing- (3.5/5) There were elements of Ng’s writing I did and didn’t like. As I mentioned in plot, it sometimes took a little while for all the lines to connect, which sometimes interrupted the flow of the book sometimes. Still, her characters and setting were carefully crafted with much attention to detail, which made them both extremely real and engaging.
Overall- (3.4/5) I read Little Fires Everywhere quickly, swept into the story by the fascinating characters and familiar setting. Though the plot didn’t hold the suspense I was anticipating, it skillfully connected the characters and their actions throughout past and present. Little Fires Everywhere raises big questions about parenthood, culture, and growing up, but doesn’t necessarily answer them. Ng’s writing places readers directly in the community, and it’s easy to sympathize with her characters, even when they’re on opposite sides of an issue. Though the characters were more compelling than the story, I enjoyed the book and will be keeping an eye out for the TV adaptation.
Content Warnings: abortion, miscarriage, infertility, family death, arson, child kidnapping