• Number Of Pages: 338 Pages
• Genre Of Book: fiction, literary fiction, and family drama genres
• Published On: 2017
• Awards: New York Times Bestseller

“You can’t know what it’s like for someone else, and so you have to just let them be, and love them as they are.”

“What she thought was good for her family was a lie she had told herself, just like everyone else.”

“We are all the sum of our choices.”

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things still go wrong.”

“The truth is like a bird, you can cage it, but it will still fly out.”

“The most dangerous thing about being a mother is that you can’t control your children.”

“No matter how much you want it, you can’t fix someone else’s life.”

“It’s not the things that happen to you, it’s the things you do with them.”

I don’t quite remember how I came across this book. It may have been a recommendation, a passing mention, or a random scroll. I’m so glad I did. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is one of those rare books. It lingers with you long after you turn the last page.

Interestingly, this novel has been adapted into a series available on Amazon Prime. I did give it a shot and watched a couple of episodes. But as always, I found myself disappointed. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. I’ve realized that screen adaptations can rarely match the depth, nuance, and emotional resonance of the printed page. Many of you can relate to this. There’s something irreplaceable about holding a book in your hands, flipping through the pages, and letting your imagination do the visualizing. It’s not just about reading, it’s about feeling, touching, and immersing.

The story set in the seemingly perfect suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio, opens with a literal bang,a fire has destroyed the Richardson family’s home. The rest of the novel works its way backward, unfolding how things reached that point.

The plot centers around two contrasting families:

Elena Richardson: A journalist, mother of four, and a firm believer in rules, order, and predictability. Her family represents the “ideal” upper-middle-class American life.

Mia Warren: An artist and single mother who lives a life with her daughter, Pearl. They move often, staying just long enough to create temporary connections before moving on to new place.

When the Warrens move into a rental house owned by the Richardsons, their lives become entangled. These entanglements are unpredictable and deeply emotional. A custody battle over a Chinese-American baby is central to the book. It divides the community. The battle reveals hidden biases and silent tensions circulating under the surface.

Ng’s strength lies in her characters, they are flawed, layered, and incredibly real. You don’t just read about them; you understand them, even when you disagree with them.

Some of the key themes explored include:

1. Motherhood in its many forms: What makes someone a mother biology or love? Mia and Elena represent two extremes of motherhood, and their parenting styles starkly contrast.

2. Race and privilege: Subtle but deeply powerful, the book delves into how race and class shape perception, opportunity, and justice.

3. Freedom vs. stability: Through Mia’s nomadic life and Elena’s structured one, Ng poses profound questions about what it means to live freely. Ng questions whether stability is a privilege or a trap.

Celeste Ng’s writing flows smoothly, elegantly, with subtle beauty.She writes with quiet intensity, revealing her characters’ inner conflicts with empathy and precision. Her storytelling is richly layered, almost cinematic, yet deeply literary. The pacing is deliberate, building tension until everything combusts like the title suggests with little fires everywhere.

The TV adaptation is visually striking. It benefits from strong performances, especially by Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. However, it lacks the introspective depth that the book offers. It’s difficult for any screen portrayal to capture the subtle internal monologues. Portraying the nuanced shifts in relationships is challenging. The quiet tragedy that Ng’s writing conveys is also hard to depict. For me, the book remains the superior experience.

Little Fires Everywhere is not just a story about two families. It’s a commentary on society, identity, and the fragile lines between right and wrong. It forces you to question your judgments and empathize with those you may initially misunderstand.

It’s one of those books that demands to be discussed and remembered.

#booklover ❤️❤️

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