Cori’s Pick: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Little Fires Everywhere weaves an intricate story of two very different families while exploring the complexities of motherhood, adoption, surrogacy, privilege, and class.

The Richardsons live a life that thrives on routine.  Where everything from their neighborhood to their daily schedules are meticulously planned.  So when Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl move to town and rent a house from the Richardsons,  no one quite knows what to make of them.  Slowly, the Richardson children are drawn to Mia and Pearl and make unlikely connections with them.  When a friend of the Richardsons attempts to adopt a Chinese-American baby, secrets arise from Mia’s past and identities are mistaken on all fronts.

This book is full of intricate layers that were so delicious to peel away!  I found myself frantically flipping pages, not sure whose side I was on or how I wanted it to end!  It explores how identities are forged, maintained, and sadly – often mistaken.  And it shows us how trust and friendship can arise in unexpected places.  I have now read both of Celeste Ng’s novels (Everything I Never Told You was her first, published in 2014) and they are just so beautifully complex and completely engrossing.  Highly recommended!