Little Fires Everywhere: 'Outstanding' Matt Haig

This is a really seductive read. The novel opens at the end, and we learn that Isabelle (Izzy) Richardson has burned down the family home in the upmarket Shaker Heights area of Cleveland. Set in the 1990s when Bill Clinton is president, the story focuses on the Richardson family and their perfect, meticulously planned lives (much like Shaker Heights itself with its rules about what colour you can paint your home, and about not putting bins on the sidewalk). But even the best laid plans cannot avoid the disruptive influence of outsiders; Mia Warren, a photographic artist arrives with her daughter, Pearl, and, renting a duplex from the Richardsons, soon becomes close to the family. Further uncertainty is created in the community as a result of a controversial inter-racial adoption case which ends up in court. There are lots of layers and the story allows the author to explore attitudes to race, class differences, our attempts to control our lives and the relationships between mothers and children here. The characters were engaging, complex and sympathetically drawn. Even if we didn't like all of them equally, there is a sense that that author wants us to understand them and the choices they make. It's a beautifully written book, easy to read, and gripping, but also thought provoking, leaving an impression on the mind long after the last page has been turned. I will certainly be seeking out Celeste Ng's first novel on the strength of this, her second. Highly recommended.

3.5 Stars rounded up. My sister recommended this as something a bit different to help me out my reading slump. I see it's been made into a Netflix series too, and I can understand why, it is a very cinematic book with a fast-paced story and some intriguing characters. So, we have a nice, middle-class Edward Scissorhands-type American town, and into it come Mia and her daughter Pearl, ready to stir things up. We have the Richardson's three teenage children who are, without knowing it, ripe for being stirred up, and we have Elena Richardson, a woman who plays by the rules, but who kind of sort of would have liked to have been a rebel, if you could be a rebel by playing by the rules. And so the fire is lit under all of them. The story unravels at quite a pace, and jumps backwards and forwards in time, with the perspective/point of view jumping about at about the same rate. I found this a little disconcerting at first, but quickly got used to it. This is a genuine page turner of a story with some very real social issues at the heart of it, not least racism and prejudice. It's the sort of story I can imagine stirred up some 'middle' Americans (I loved the whole thing about the baby dolls). It's really well-written, the characters are three-dimensional, and of course we all relate to Mia and hate Elena - well sort of. I raced through it, and only when I got to the end did I start to fret at some of the plot holes and the issues with the motivation of some of the characters - what on earth was Mr Richardson doing for most of the book, for example. This is a woman's story, so the male characters are a little less well-drawn and a little more plot-creations, but I don't have an issue with that. Thoroughly enjoyable and just the sort of read I needed at the moment. I don't think it would stand up to a second reading, but instead I am launching into the author's earlier book.

The book opens with a fire that burnt down the house of Richardson’s, one of the residents of Shaker Heights district. Izzy, the rebel child of the household is nowhere to be found and they guess that she set the house on fire. She lighted up ‘little fires everywhere’ to make sure the house burns down. But, we don’t know if this is true, or why. And the story goes back for us to come back to find out if and why she did it. The novel starts with an intriguing event, that makes you immediately curious about who this ‘Izzy’ is, why on earth she set the house on fire, what hapenned!!! I really like books when the story grips you from the first page, and Celeste Ng did this perfectly. I was hooked from the beginning to end. Second thing that’s really good about the book is the characters. I loved Mia and Izzy. Even now I want to know more, read more, talk more about them. They are interesting and gripping. The way Ng built and revealed the history, their memories, the events affected their characters was very well done. The story evolved into something really emotional and thought-provoking, which I didn’t expect as well. It makes you think about many things at the same time. Dynamics of society, ethics of motherhood, and more. I would highly recommend this book. It’s very rich, enjoyable and gripping.

Shaker Heights is a peaceful, well ordered community, with rules ranging from rubbish collection (and how it should be done) to the colour a resident paints their house. It is a respectable community, free of drama. That is until artist Mia and her teenage daughter Pearl turn up and lead to the unraveling of secrets. Renting an apartment from the Richardson family, Mia and Pearl become intertwined, albeit reluctantly from Mia's perspective, into their lives. Elena Richardson is a second generation Shaker Heights resident and mother to four children- Izzy, Trip, Moody and Lexie. Elena has always been troubled by her youngest daughter, Izzy, but thanks to the arrival of Mia and Pearl, she soon realises she needs to have concerns about all four. A court case involving the adoption of an abandoned baby, leads Elena to uncover the truth about Mia's past and ultimately results in the opening scene of the book where Izzy sets 'Little Fires Everywhere.' Celeste Ng gives each character their own identity and lets the reader see how they became the person they are today. The writing is descriptive and at times appears to go off on a tangent when, as I reader, I wanted to get on with the plot, but it was an enjoyable read, nonetheless.

“Little Fires Everywhere” was the tv series I planned to watch next after finishing “Big Little Lies”. But right then the lockdowns due to the pandemic started, I began writing in earnest and had to drop the pastime that used to be my favourite for many years. So, when the book deal for “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng landed in my mailbox, I downloaded it. The book turned out to be exactly my kind of read. I appreciate that the author didn’t cut short on fleshing out the characters. Some might call it ‘tell not show’, but I loved it. The characters – and what a diverse set of them there is in the book! – felt real, even though not always their motivations were crystal clear, which is absolutely fine with me. Words exist to explain things. And it is impossible to explain everything about a character and their past through dialogue in the scenes set in the present. I understand that not everyone likes such a style when some parts of characters’ lives are described as a narrative rather than some bits and pieces of it get thrown between the ‘action.’ Yet, it works for me, and thus, I enjoyed learning about the inhabitants of Shaker Heights, their dark and not-so-dark secrets, the dreams they pursued and the ones they decided to leave behind. The book draws a wide canvas of life in an upmarket suburb of Cleveland, Ohio – Shaker Heights – focusing on the Richardsons and the Warrens. The Richardsons are a perfect American family, with a big and beautiful house, two successful parents, and four teenage children. While the Warrens are a single mother Mia and her daughter Pearl. The Warrens become the tenants of the Richardson’s, renting from them a house Mrs Richardson has inherited from her parents. However, the relationship between the two families doesn’t stay within the tenant-owner limits. I found the dynamics between Mia and the Richardsons’ children especially fascinating. It might seem that the privileged and somewhat spoiled teenagers who live the American dream their parents have created for them would not even see a struggling artist who never stays in one place for long and has to supplement her income by doing low-paid jobs. It also might seem logical that the daughter of the nomadic mother would inevitably become an outsider in the uppity school of a planned community such as Shaker Heights. Yet, it doesn’t happen this way. On the contrary, the rich get drawn to the poor, and the ties that form between them become so strong that it’ll bring tremendous heartbreak to everyone when they are forced to cut them. At first, the plotline with the teenager crises, such as pining for a boy out of your league and being left alone at the party thrown when the parents are out of town, frustrated me. But then the whole picture came together, and this part clicked into place in the overall narrative. I didn’t feel that the author forced a certain point of view on the readers. All the characters in the book have their flaws, as well as their share of disappointment. To me, it was compelling that I couldn’t firmly take someone’s side. Mia, a nomadic artist, certainly followed her heart and creative dreams. Still, even though the Richardsons’ children were drawn to her due to the stark difference she presented with their own mother, was Mia’s choice of lifestyle beneficial for her daughter Pearl? As much as I can relate to Mia’s passion for art, I can’t wholeheartedly support the idea of sacrificing one’s child’s comfortable life because of it. True, Mia had other reasons for not staying in one place for long – her back story is exciting and, like everything else in the book, controversial. I didn’t feel that the author wanted the readers to condemn Elena Richardson, an ideal Shaker Heights resident, a wife, a mother – a working one at that – who has her life planned. After all, Elena has built a great life for herself and her family. There is no denying that. Only those who haven’t experienced real poverty can declare that a comfortable home, stable, higher-than-average family income, the ability to buy a car for your child’s sixteenth birthday, etc. are not real values. While the real ones are following your dream and staying true to your nature. Perhaps the perspective slightly shifts only if one has gone through a real financial struggle when buying food and paying utility bills become an insurmountable task. “Little Fires Everywhere” touches upon some controversial topics I found intriguing to explore. It also made me realise my position on some of them differs from the accepted by the mainstream. I recommend this book to those who don’t mind the gradual immersion in the story and appreciate delving deep into the characters’ backstories and motivations.

Couldn’t put it down & wish there was a sequel!!

Great book about life, womanhood, growing up, race, and great storytelling all thru the book

I read this book after hearing some interviews where hosts were impressed by her phrases throughout the book. Indeed it is beautifully written. I really enjoyed it although I already knew the story from tv series. I recommend!

Un romanzo che nella sua ''semplicità'' riesce a costruire dei personaggi praticamente a tutto tondo. Impossibile non empatizzare con ognuno di essi. Seppur la storia sia semplice e non abbia grandissimi colpi di scena, in realtà come il titolo suggerisce, ogni personaggio causerà dei ''piccoli incendi'' o appunto delle piccole cose che poi eventualmente ne scateneranno altre, fino a far congiungere tutto con il finale. Il libro anche se lungo, si legge in un attimo e non è per niente pesante. Forse le prime 100 pagine potrebbero sembrare un po' noiose o senza nessun grande scopo, ma a mio parere sono fatte apposta per farci conoscere bene i personaggi, la storia del posto, le due famiglie e di come il tutto prima o poi inizierà a mescolarsi assieme!