Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

Characters
Richardson Family	Others
William - lawyer Elena - reporter Lexie Trip Moody Isabelle – Izzy - youngest	Mia Warren/Wright Pearl George and Regina Wright – Mia’s parents Warren – brother, deceased Joseph and Madeline Ryan – Pearl’s father Mark and Linda McCullough Mirabelle (May Ling) Bebe – May Ling’s mother Ed Lim - lawyer Serena Wong – Lexie’s friend Brian – Lexie’s boyfriend Pauline Hawthorne – artist of “Virgin and Child #1” (1982) Anita Rees – Rees Art Gallery in Manhattan

For Discussion:

NOTE: All page numbers are from hardback edition.

1. Discuss the dynamics in the Richardson family, particularly Elena and Izzy.  On page 111 the author wrote about Izzy, “The sense that all the children had – including Izzy – was that she was a particular disappointment to their mother, that for reasons unclear to them, their mother resented her.”  On the last page Elena comes to the realization that she and Izzy are similar and that Izzy has the spirit she did not recognize in herself. 
2. Toward the end of chapter 11 the author described Elena’s “reverence for order and rules and decorum” (page 159).  Also, on page 161 the author wrote of Elena, “All her life, she had learned that passion, like fire, was a dangerous thing.  It so easily went out of control.”  Also, on page 161, “Rules exist for a reason: if you followed them, you would succeed; if you didn’t, you might burn the world to the ground.”  How was this philosophy evident in Elena and not in Mia and Izzy?   What do you think about rules?
3. The Shaker community was based on the idea that “Perfection: that was the goal…feeding those who grew up there with a propensity to overachieve and a deep intolerance for flaws” (page 23).  Aside from “intolerance for flaws,” is there anything wrong with striving for perfection?
4. How accurate do you think Mia’s assessment was of Elena at the end of chapter 18 when Elena told her to move away?  Mia said, “It terrifies you.  That you missed out on something.  That you gave up something you didn’t know you wanted” (page 302).
5. Mia started to work for the Richardson family, cleaning in the morning when no one was there and cooking in the afternoon when everyone was there so that she could observe them “both when they were there and when they weren’t” (page 73).  What would someone learn about you if they studied your home when you were not there?
6. Discuss the photos Mia left for the Richardson family and how they described each person (chapter 20, pages 328-329).
7. Was Elena justified in searching into Mia’s background?
8. Discuss Mia and her decision to run away with Pearl and keep her from her father.  How was that different from the Richardson’s trying to take Mirabelle away from Bebe?
9. When Elena discovered Mai’s past, she reflected, “What would she have done if she’d been in that situation?” (page 239).  What do you think she would have done?
10. What was so alluring about Mia to Izzy and Lexie? 
11. Why do you think Mirabelle did not cry out when Bebe took her from her crib?  Would it have been different if, as Elena hoped, she had never known her mother?
12. Did Mia unconsciously give Bebe permission to take her baby when she told her, “You will always be her mother.  Nothing will ever change that” (page296).
13. When reading the first part of chapter 16 where the narrative flipped back and forth between the McCullough’s and Bebe’s cases, did you think one side was more compelling than the other?   Did you agree with the ruling?
14. At the beginning of the novel (chapter 7, pages 79-82), when Izzy was mad at Mrs. Peters for picking on Deja, Mia asked her what she was going to do about it (page 79).  She went so far as to tell her not to just target Mrs. Peters.  Was this irresponsible on Mia’s part?  How did this influence the end of the novel?
15. When trying to explain to Izzy that Bebe would somehow survive when she was not given custody, Mia used the analogy of new growth after a cleansing prairie fire (page 295).   Was she unconsciously planting the idea in Izzy’s head of burning down the house?
16. Do you think Elena will ever find out that Lexie had the abortion?  Will Lexie tell her?  How do you think she will react?
17. What do you think happened after the story ended?   Did Izzy find Mia and Pearl?  Were the various families reunited; Mia with the Wrights, Izzy with the Richardsons?

*****
First Semester Success, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available as an eBook and hard copy from amazon.com and hard copy from wordassociation.com.