Read it before the movie comes out!

I found this one a little predictable, as in, I guessed the “surprises” ending pretty quickly. But that in NO WAY detracted from my enjoyment of the novel, which is full of secrets and twists along the way. The book also raises some pretty interesting questions, especially about adoption and ethnicity.

Little Fires Everywhere starts with Izzy Richardson burning down her family’s house, and backs up from there. The Richardsons are a wealthy family living in the planned community of Shaker Heights. Then Mia and Pearl Warren move into their rent house, and family dynamics suddenly change. Then the secrets start spilling out.

That synopsis tells you nothing, really, but that’s how you should go into this one. The writing is excellent and each of the teenagers in the novel really have their own personalities and troubles. And although it’s a little heavy-handed on “lessons”, there’s enough ambiguity that it never seems like Ng is preaching. This would be a great book for a book club to discuss.