Book Review: Little Fires Everywhere - Highly Recommend

Celeste Ng did an outstanding job with her debut novel, Everything I Never Told You. The book (my review here) tapped into the tensions that often play out in family relationships. Despite elements that normally put me off, I liked that novel. Oh, how hard it is to top a critically-acclaimed debut! But, in my opinion, Celeste Ng has done just that with Little Fires Everywhere. I marveled at the intricacies of her plotting, the vulnerability of her characters, and the depth of her insights.

The story begins with bizarre little clues - the recent hub-bub in the press about Mirabelle McCullough ("or, depending which side you were on - May Ling Chow") had been eclipsed by the astonishing act of Izzie Richardson when she burned down her family's home the morning after the Richardson's mysterious tenants fled. From these elemental first hints, three separate stories begin to slowly unveil and intertwine. The Richardson family live a picture-perfect life in a spacious house in the utopian community of Shaker Heights until Mia Warren and her teenage daughter Pearl move into their rental duplex. As Pearl becomes more and more enmeshed with the Richardson children, Elena Richardson is desperate to discover clues to Mia's past. Meanwhile, Elena's best friend is in the throes of a public court case after attempting to adopt an abandoned baby.

As the tale progresses, the reader is introduced to a host of thought-provoking issues. What is more important for a child - love and adequate provision or the cultural identity of their biological parents? How do parents grieve the loss of a child? How does a woman hand over the child of her womb to someone else to raise? Do people always deserve a second chance after they make a mistake? What does one lose when one runs away from problems and mistakes? Does rule-following bring freedom or bondage? Are secrets dangerous? Can anything overshadow the intense pull a mother feels for her own child? Does holding a child tightly keep them safe or cause them to rebel? So many human emotions are tapped in this novel. I think mothers will feel especially drawn to its intricate dynamics.

As a writer, I want to analyze and explore Ng's craft. How does she suck the reader in so completely and so quickly? How does she write in such a way that the reader forgets there is an author? How did she plan out the plot to reach the perfect climax and resolution? I read with a critical eye the first time, but I'd love to read this book a second time to further explore these questions. I'm not surprised it won Amazon's "Best Novel of the Year" in 2017.