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becca_osborn 's review for:
Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
This story follows the interactions of artist-photographer Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl, and the Richardson family. After a lifetime of moving across the country, Mia says that this is finally the place they will stay. We read the story in reverse, chronicling the perspectives of the four Richardson children - Trip, Moody, Lexie, and Izzy - and how each of their lives become entwined with and impacted by Mia and Pearl...and how a little uncertainty and wonder in an orderly town like Shaker Heights can change the course of several lives.
This was my first read by Celeste Ng, and it certainly won't be my last. While reading about each of the characters, I wasn't sure where this story was going..and then BAM, around page 100 she rips your heart out. Even though the book is written in third person, it reads like a first person glimpse of each character - and even though there isn't a definitive break in when the stories switch (like when we finally hear Mia's full story, to Lexie's story, to the court case) the flow isn't confusing at all. Ng has a way of flowing in and out of topics so subtly you barely notice that you're covering so much ground so quickly. Pair this with the uncanny parallelisms with her characters (Bebe and Mia, Izzy and Pearl, Her attention to this kind of detail is a huge strength.
This book asks some hard questions: what makes a parent, particularly a mother? What makes a family? What defines a good or bad choice - are there good and bad choices? Do people understand the weight of cross-cultural adoption and the issue of race? Is "because this is how things are done" always a good reason to keep the status quo? There's a lot going on under the surface that it will take some time to unpack.
We're also left with a lot of questions, which I love: Does Mia go to meet her parents? Does she contact Mia's father (and his wife)? Does Izzy find Mia and Pearl? Where do Mia and Pearl end up - and do they find a place to finally "stay"? This would be delightful for a book discussion.
Pairings: The Mothers, Under a Painted Sky, The Girl who Fell from the Sky.
This was my first read by Celeste Ng, and it certainly won't be my last. While reading about each of the characters, I wasn't sure where this story was going..and then BAM, around page 100 she rips your heart out. Even though the book is written in third person, it reads like a first person glimpse of each character - and even though there isn't a definitive break in when the stories switch (like when we finally hear Mia's full story, to Lexie's story, to the court case) the flow isn't confusing at all. Ng has a way of flowing in and out of topics so subtly you barely notice that you're covering so much ground so quickly. Pair this with the uncanny parallelisms with her characters (Bebe and Mia, Izzy and Pearl, Her attention to this kind of detail is a huge strength.
This book asks some hard questions: what makes a parent, particularly a mother? What makes a family? What defines a good or bad choice - are there good and bad choices? Do people understand the weight of cross-cultural adoption and the issue of race? Is "because this is how things are done" always a good reason to keep the status quo? There's a lot going on under the surface that it will take some time to unpack.
We're also left with a lot of questions, which I love: Does Mia go to meet her parents? Does she contact Mia's father (and his wife)? Does Izzy find Mia and Pearl? Where do Mia and Pearl end up - and do they find a place to finally "stay"? This would be delightful for a book discussion.
Pairings: The Mothers, Under a Painted Sky, The Girl who Fell from the Sky.