November 1, 2017

Little Fires Everywhere


"Don't get attached." ~ pg. 121

Everyone plays by the rules in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The layout of the winding driveways, the color of the houses, the high expectations of students and the conduct of its suburbanites is all planned. No one plays the rules more than Elena Richardson, journalist and mother of four. Single mother and artist, Mia Warren, arrives into town with her teenage daughter, Pearl, and rents a house from Mrs. Richardson. It takes no time for all four children to be drawn to Mia and Pearl. Soon the families are woven together along with secrets, patterns and daily living.

When a custody battle over a Chinese American baby divides the town, Mia and Elena are on opposing sides. The past does not stay in the past and true motives are revealed. Above all, the pull of motherhood is strong.

There are so many individual story lines within these 336 pages but it was easy to follow them all and become interested in each outcome. Like any book with multiple main characters, there are those I really like and those I don't care for at all. But Celeste Ng wrote the good and bad sides to let the readers decide on their own who to like, dislike or be indifferent about. At times it was hard for me to pick a side. It only added to the theory of intertwined fates.

It is rare for a book to tug at my heart strings. It is even more rare for me to remember a story line so vividly with all the books that I read in short periods of time. So I did not expect my reaction once I finished reading Little Fires Everywhere. I didn't expect to think about these characters or hope for a follow-up book. I didn't expect the feelings it left me with and, most of all, the question of morality. This novel is a perfect reminder to not make judgment because you never truly know what you might do in the same situation...until it actually happens to you.

"What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?" ~ pg. 258

What is right? What is wrong? What is love? What is obsession?

Bookhearts, be prepared to ask yourself these questions while reading this new release by the talented author, Celeste Ng. And you'd better have a friend close by that read this book too because you will be anxious to talk about it.

Title: Little Fires Everywhere
Author: Celeste Ng
Published: September 2017
Pages: 336
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

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