LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng
This story takes place in Shaker Heights, Ohio a suburb of Cleveland. A real place where the author grew up which was the first planned community in America. And it existed with its own set of rules, from the colour of your house even down to where you could put your garbage bins. The plot begins dramatically with a blazing fire of a rich house.
But the characters are the focus. Elena Richardson is the third generation of her family to live in this community. She is one of the movers and shakers, living by all the rules, written and unwritten. As she says, “Rules are meant to keep you safe. If you follow them you will have success.” She has four children, all different. The eldest girl, Lexie, has her path set for going to Yale and she is accepted for the following year. In high school, she joined the right groups, become involved in the right clubs/activities, and did well academically. The next child, Tripp, is the handsome jock who attracts girls but loves and leaves them. Third is Moody, a sensitive artist with a well-hidden rebel inside. He is belittled by Lexie and Tripp. Finally, there is Izzy who rejects the rules of her mother and community. She constantly acts out, pushing angry responses from her mother when she dresses differently, becomes vegetarian, and refuses to comply with her mother’s plans for her life.
Enter Mia Warren who is nomadic and lives in her car with her daughter Pearl while settling into their next community. She is an artistic photographer who moves from project to project. She supports herself with odd jobs and devotes her time and energy to her photography and to her daughter Pearl. Circumstances have Mia renting an apartment from the Richardsons and later, working as a cook/housekeeper in the afternoons at their home.
While the characters appear opposites, their interactions give them nuances that allow for much reflection on parenting, mother/daughter relationships, values that order our lives, and how or if we change. This is both a good story and a thought-provoking look at daily life.
- Jackie Potters, csj Associate