100 Books in 2018

57/ little fires everywhere by celeste ng

read: 29.07.18 - 30.07.18

book: Little Fires Everywhere

author: Celeste Ng

blurb: Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours 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 teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

review: I bought this book on a whim because I had heard very good things about it, but I wasn't expecting much because the other book I've read from this author left me quite underwhelmed.

This book completely enthralled me.

Firstly, what a plot! I loved the fact that there were so many different storylines all interwoven together to make this intriguing picture of the real Shaker Heights behind the idealistic facade. It's a story about identity, family, and where we come from. And I couldn't stop reading.

The characters were all likeable in their own ways, and I liked that most of them had flaws or hidden truths which made them human. I found the characters all very enjoyable to read about, and I was never bored when reading this book. The writing is so beautiful in places, and there would be lines that would really touch me.

Overall, I loved this book and would recommend to everyone. I hope this gets made into a film if I'm honest, because I really want to continue living in this world for longer.

rating: 10/10