Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng: A review
I am bereft. I have exited the world of Mia Warren and her various relationships and I feel a bit lost and unmoored. The world of Mia and her daughter Pearl and the Richardson family and all their associations in the planned community of Shaker Heights ( "Most communities just happen; the best are planned." ) have been the society in which I have been living these past few days. My sojourn there gave me a lot to think about and I didn't want it to end. We visit Shaker Heights in the mid-1990s and meet the Richardson family on a day of tragedy for them. Someone has set fire to their comfortable home and uprooted their comfortable lives. In fact, someone set not just one fire but "little fires everywhere", pouring accelerant on three beds in the house and setting them ablaze. Mrs. Richardson was in the house asleep at the time and we first encounter her standing on the sidewalk in front of the house in her robe and slippers as the firemen work to contain the blaze...