From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town–and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.
Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
I am currently reading this with Litsy friends and am loving it! I have similarities with parts of several different characters which makes the reading way more fun! “OH that was or IS me!!” is fun in a story to see! The discussions have been good, differing points of view on how you read a story is always good. As we all come from differing beliefs and lifestyles it’s good to ‘hear’ anothers perspective!
Assigned chapters and week plans also are extremely helpful to me right now, although with this book I have to HIDE it so I don’t read ahead!
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Pick this one up! It’s really good! Find us on Litsy to discuss #LFEreadalong
Peace.
I’ve finished this lovely read. I think it would be a wonderful book to discuss in a psychology class. It has been a really fun book to discuss with fellow bookclub peeps online. Every single character in the book has a back story and almost all have a conflict that brings about choice, sometimes regret sometimes not.
“Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground, and start over. After burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way.”
This quote pretty much sums up the book. I was surprised at the ending and am not a big fan of it. I however get why it ends how it does!
Next up is The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Peace.
