Year 3, week 40: Little Fires Everywhere

This week's book:
Little Fires Everywhere
By Celeste Ng

This week's book was my book group book in April, and I actually enjoyed it and probably would have picked it up even if I didn't need to. I'm not saying that I don't always love the books we read in book group, but let's be honest, I don't always enjoy every book.

This story is about a fairly wealthy family who make friends with a single mother who is an artist. Everyone has their own secrets, and to be honest I don't think there really is a fully likable character in the whole book, which probably makes it more realistic. But I had a real problem with it as well.

For the first half of the book, I couldn't pinpoint what other books this novel was reminding me of. It took me seeing a quote about this book by Jodi Picolt that it dawned on me that the book sounds like one of her books. The book also reminded me of Big Little Lies because there are a lot of different moms just trying to do what they think is best, but maybe not doing great or getting everything right. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view and you see a different way of seeing how the story is unfolding.

The story is based in a well-to-do town in the 1990's with a family with four kids that are completely opposites. A single mother comes into the family's life and shakes it up. There are all these secrets that never come to light, which pains me. Whenever I watch or read a drama, I always want people to communicate better. I can't give much more about the plot, because it twists and turns quite a bit in the novel. Apparently the book has been turned into a Hulu show starring Reese Whiterspoon, Carrie Washington and Joshua Jackson. I haven't watched it but I have heard it is good. I would probably recommend the book, even though I did struggle with some of the plot points and secrets.