Little Fires Everywhere

In Shaker Heights, the meticulously planned Cleveland suburb where everything from the paint colors to the residents' futures seems ordained, Elena Richardson embodies the community's guiding faith that following the rules guarantees a good life. That order is disturbed when she rents her spare house to Mia Warren, an itinerant artist, and Mia's quiet teenage daughter, Pearl. Soon all four Richardson children are drawn to the newcomers, and the two households become entangled in ways no one anticipates.

When old family friends of the Richardsons try to adopt a Chinese-American baby, the ensuing custody fight splits the town, and Mia and Elena find themselves on opposite sides. Their conflict pushes Elena to start investigating Mia's carefully hidden past, a decision that will expose secrets on both sides and set in motion a slow-burning catastrophe.

Little Fires Everywhere is a searching, engrossing novel about motherhood, class, art, and the seductive belief that a well-ordered life can be kept safe from disaster. Celeste Ng weaves together multiple points of view with warmth and precision, asking who has the right to claim a child, whose stories get told, and what happens when the pursuit of control finally catches fire.