Little Fires Everywhere is an intriguing look at what happens when unexpected views and happenings are thrown into a well-regulated and well-planned upper-middle class community. The story centers around a mother and daughter who arrive from out of town and rents from the Richardson family.
Even though the teaser for the book makes it seem like there is some mystery surrounding the mother and daughter, I would say the mystery plays only a small part of importance in the book. Rather, it is more a slow and steady character study of all the personalities in this drama. And Ng does a great job drawing the readers in, taking them on this journey with plenty of astute observations about life and relationships.
However, for all the positives and how much I enjoyed this book, I also thought it was just unrealistic. Whenever an issue is brought up in this story, however nuanced, every character immediately picks a side and stubbornly sticks to it, while jumping to vilify the other side. People did not reach out to understand the other viewpoint, and there is no attempt at a dialogue to even try. The fact that everyone in this story is like this makes it feel contrived and hard to believe. And with so many one-dimensional characters, the book ultimately ends up feeling like a caricature of the story it's trying to tell.
Readaroo Rating: 3 stars
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