This month's official book club selection for two different book clubs of which I'm a member (LOVE when that happens!) is Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere. Set in an idyllic, very planned community, Elena Richardson's large family collides with Mia Warren's very small one. Mia is an artist, an unconventional photographer, who travels from one town to another with her daughter Pearl seeking out her next project. They own almost nothing and get by with as little as they can- the art is what is important. Elena Richardson, on the other hand, has the deepest of roots in the small town of Shaker Heights and has always lived her life by the rules. Her four teenage children, all in high school, don't all share her strong convictions and sense of right and wrong. As Pearl and Izzy, Elena's youngest daughter, get to know one another, as well as the other's mother, they each see something they have been missing in their own family dynamics.
I really loved reading this book. The characters are wonderful and complex. The narrative is beautifully delivered. I have heard this book called "slow-moving", but I couldn't disagree more. This book kept me up way past my bedtime and only when I forced my hands to relinquish it to the bedside table and squeezed my eyes shut was I able to begin to feel sleepy. One of my favorite aspects of this novel was that it was set in 1997. I am a Nineties kid and the references were delightful. Why yes! I did own a little pot of kiwi lip balm from The Body Shop that year. And yes, I also angrily listened to Tori Amos on repeat in my bedroom and in my car. Ah, memories...
This is a remarkable book that I thoroughly enjoyed diving into at any and every available moment. I have heard good things about the audio version, so I've added that to my list as well. I'll let you know! In the mean time, read this book and tell me what you think. There are some very interesting dilemmas presented for the reader's contemplation and there are no easy answers.
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