I am on a mission with my reading. As anyone who reads blog will know, I am a staunch believer in the notion that you can’t watch the movie/ TV show before you’ve read the book (although there have been some exceptions – I have never had the time nor the motivation to read A Song of Ice and Fire, for example). It’s why I slogged my way through War and Peace and David Copperfield, and it’s why I chose this month’s book, Little Fires Everywhere.
For anyone who hasn’t heard of it, or of the author Celeste Ng, let me start off by saying I would highly recommend. I read Everything I Never Told You back in October and loved it. Celeste Ng’s style is so easy to read and yet there’s so much to unpack in the stories she tells; kind of like Anne Tyler, but less poetic.
It’s hard to talk about Little Fires Everywhere without giving away the whole plot. It’s one of those novels where everything is interlinked, and even the tiniest details become important later.
At the heart, though, it’s all about relationships, particularly the bond between mother and child. The way the characters interact with and come to know each other is so interesting, and I think there is something in there that everyone can recognise as a pattern or a familiar theme within their relationships in real life, whether they’re friendships, romantic relationships, family ties or casual acquaintances.
I can’t really write much more without retelling the story, so all I will say is that I urge people to read this and I’m excited to watch the TV show now.
Just Emma Things 