Little fires everywhere: What’s so special about this book?
Some books are revered for their plot, others because they’re ahead of their time, and others for their life changing ‘tips’. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is a novel that stays with you for her deep understanding, creation, and portrayal of various characters.
The book is set in a suburb of Cleveland called Shaker Heights. Celeste describes this place as a suburb that has been planned to perfection — from the curve in the roads to the location of schools. The stark contrast between what happens in the book, and the well planned, orderly location it takes place in is striking from the very first page. To give you more context — the book begins with a large house owned by a rich, well respected family burning to the ground. Every bed in the Richardson House was lit up with gasoline and a matchstick. The large, sturdy house was burnt down by these little but unyielding fires. The rest of the book immediately absorbs the reader as it describes the story that leads to the house’s inevitable end.
As for the characters, Celeste has created a world in Shaker Heights which looks perfect and happy from the outside, but the closer you go, the clearer is the tempest within every human being. There is a mother who convinces herself that she made a choice to give up her career for her children, and that was the right thing to do. There is a son who shifts from girl to girl to keep up his image, while he secretly looks for a smart, insightful girl he can have a real conversation with. There is another son, who is extremely talented, but has little confidence in himself since he has always remained in his Casanova of an elder brother’s shadow. There is a daughter, who is one of the most popular, confident, and kind girls in her school… but doesn’t have a single friend to turn to when she desperately needs help. There is another daughter, the only one in the story who does not keep up a facade — but for all of her dynamic ideas, she is shunned by almost everyone around her, including her family.
This family has been hiding their true selves from each other until a single mother, Mia, and her daughter make their way into their lives. Mia is a travelling photographer with an incredible insight into people, life, and their depiction on a piece of paper. The daughter, raised by a beautiful mother, finds a place in the hearts of every life she touches. However, there is a secret that Mia holds. While she helps every character look into a mirror and truly recognise themselves, she herself has been running from a truth, keeping it from her daughter and the rest of the world. This truth forms the crux of the book. It is what shows you that every person has a yin and a yang, every person has a weak moment.
This book shows you that there is a time to run from the truth, and a time to face it. There is also a time to burn it all down and start over. It helps you accept yourself and be more accepting of other people who are different from your ideologies and perception of right and wrong. This book shows you a dark side to every character, and still manages to justify their actions by simply putting you in the shoes of every character. At the very least, this book lays down a chain of events, and shows you how just one person is rarely the culprit.
I don’t know if the title Little Fires Everywhere refers to the fires in the house, or the fire in every soul that drives it to do what it did. This is just a beautiful story that helps the world become more tolerant, accepting, and understanding of the fact that everyone makes mistakes. It is time to let go.
