WHAT HAVE I BEEN READING?...in short
Little Fires Everywhere
Celeste Ng
Fictional Drama
This read is full of interesting characters which are developed by Ng delving into their backstories throughout the book.
It predominantly follows two families, living very different lives in the typical American purpose built suburban town, Shaker Heights in Ohio. The first family, the Richardsons, are an affluent family with the mother portrayed as a 'Stetford Wife', seemingly living the perfect life but no family is ever perfect and appearances can be deceiving. The second family are Mia and Pearl Warren. Mia is a single mother, renting a house from the Richardsons having recently moved into the area. The nomadic Mia struggles to make a living as an artist and provide for her teenage daughter, Pearl. When Mia starts to work for the Richardsons the two families lives become more involved and consequently the plot becomes more complicated. Enter Bebe into the mix, a struggling waitress with a complex story of her own, trying to piece her life together in order to get her baby daughter back and the storyline deepens.
Inevitably the characters lives become entwined, resulting in a story of adolescence, family, love, motherhood and the strength of women and friendships. The book successfully explores the moral and social dilemma of adoption, abortion, family relationships, sibling rivalry and the importance of social class in 1990's America.
It's a heartbreaking and heartwarming read in equal measure. There are plenty of interesting characters to get your teeth into and keep you guessing but the story is slow moving in places which is a little frustrating. Despite this, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a good read.
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