‘Little Fires Everywhere’: A must-read that questions perfection and order

The last time I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish a book was during my sixth grade I’m-probably-secretly-a-demigod-like-Percy-Jackson phase. I’d like to think my book taste has matured since then — especially since my latest all-nighter read was Celeste Ng’s “Little Fires Everywhere.”

The book illustrates the upheaval of perfection within an idealist Ohio suburb. Seriously Shaker Heights has rules about everything: grass can’t be taller than six inches, houses have to be painted a certain color and no child has to cross a major street when walking to school.  The intense rules come from the first settlers of the town who believed in unity.

The story begins when Elena Richardson, helicopter mother of four and Shaker Heights Royalty, rents out a duplex to struggling artist Mia and her daughter Pearl. Considering Mia and Pearl appear to be living out of their car, Elena sees this as an act of generosity. But right away the opposite personalities of laid-back Mia and coloring-inside-the-lines-always Elena clash, leading to several tense conversations between the two. 

While the moms aren’t exactly bffs, their kids are. Pearl and Elena’s son Moody become attached at the hip and from there Pearl becomes friends, almost family, with the whole Richardson litter. The dynamic between Pearl and the Richardson kids is sweet — Moody walks to school with Pearl, Lexie ups Pearl’s fashion game and Tripp develops a crush on Pearl. The lighthearted drama about Pearl having a thing for Tripp and vice versa was a refreshing step back from Elena and Mia’s cutthroat attitude towards each other. 

The constant arguments between them lead Elena to learn about Mia’s past, and she’ll do anything to find out what Mia is running from — who moves around every few months and won’t let her own daughter into her art studio? Elena channels her journalist side, using her contacts and newspaper clout to unearth the gritty details of Mia’s past. 

Ng incorporates flashbacks to provide explanations for Elena and Mia’s behavior — not only do they have opposite personalities, but they live opposite lives. Elena was brought up the strict Shaker Heights way while Mia could barely make enough for her NYC apartment rent. The memories didn’t distract from the plot, but rather enhanced the characters, making me feel as if I could predict what they were going to do next. 

One of the main plot points of the book is motherhood and different parenting styles. Elena is a control-freak type of mother while Mia has a more care-free, but loving attitude. As a reader, I found myself going back and forth between the two approaches — I could see the validity in Elena’s actions, but also in Mia’s. 

The moral back-and-forth this book forces you to consider is part of its page-turning factor. I didn’t want to stop reading because I had to find out what was going to happen as a result of their parental decisions. Plus, it’s only 300-something pages so, in quarantine time, it’s a breeze. 

The suspense and morality check made this a worthwhile read. Not to mention Hulu developed it into a show so once you’re done reading, get watching.