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A review by midnightmarauder
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is another book where I had watched the show/movie before reading the book itself, so, it took me a while to finish it, as I already know how things end.
The story revolves around a family in Shaker Heights, The Richardsons, whose lives are unknowingly shaken up after Mia and Pearl Warren arrive into town.
The Richardson matriarch, Elena, is a woman who has a white-savior complex, to say the very least. She's lived in the idyllic community of Shaker Heights her entire life, where racism is virtually non-existent and everyone gets along. She often feels as though it is her duty to keep things orderly and perfect, and to help those she sees as being in need.
This shows itself with the arrival of Mia Warren, a single black mother, who arrives with her daughter, Pearl. She allows Mia to stay in her rental property, seeing it as a "good deed" to the less fortunate.
As time goes on, Elena finds Mia's unwillingness to to talk about her past, threatening to her somehow, anduses her journalistic skills to dig up information on Mia's life .
Looking into Mia and her life leads her down a path of destruction, where shelooks through the medical files of her old college roommate to get dirt to help a friend's custody case , pretends to be writing a story about Mia's brother and drives all the way out to her old home in Pennsylvania, to find out all that she can about Mia, instead of just asking her , and gaslighting and emotionally abusing her friends and even her own child, leading the child to burn down the family home in revenge .
I don't think I've ever hated a character so much. I hated her in the Hulu miniseries, and I hate her even more in this book. The book is a great read, but can be hard at times because of how vitriolic Elena is.
The story revolves around a family in Shaker Heights, The Richardsons, whose lives are unknowingly shaken up after Mia and Pearl Warren arrive into town.
The Richardson matriarch, Elena, is a woman who has a white-savior complex, to say the very least. She's lived in the idyllic community of Shaker Heights her entire life, where racism is virtually non-existent and everyone gets along. She often feels as though it is her duty to keep things orderly and perfect, and to help those she sees as being in need.
This shows itself with the arrival of Mia Warren, a single black mother, who arrives with her daughter, Pearl. She allows Mia to stay in her rental property, seeing it as a "good deed" to the less fortunate.
As time goes on, Elena finds Mia's unwillingness to to talk about her past, threatening to her somehow, and
Looking into Mia and her life leads her down a path of destruction, where she
I don't think I've ever hated a character so much. I hated her in the Hulu miniseries, and I hate her even more in this book. The book is a great read, but can be hard at times because of how vitriolic Elena is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Fire/Fire injury