Little Fires Everywhere: The New York Times Top Ten Bestseller: 'Outstanding' Matt Haig

Celeste Ng

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0349142920 ISBN 13: 9780349142920

Publisher: Abacus, 2018

'Just read it...Outstanding' Matt Haig

'To say I love this book is an understatement...It moved me to tears' Reese Witherspoon

'Beautifully written, completely charming, and extremely wise on the subject of adolescence and influence' Nick Hornby

SHORTLISTED FOR INTERNATIONAL WRITER OF THE YEAR, SPECSAVERS NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS 2018

Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town - and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at an unexpected and devastating cost...

What readers are saying:

'Highly recommended, beautifully written and thought-provoking'

'An engrossing read'

'Absolutely brilliant'

'Great characters, interesting plot that leaves you desperate to read more and written beautifully. I loved it and highly recommend it!'

Review:

Little Fires Everywhere is a straight-up thriller...From the beginning, Ng's confident use of the omniscient voice signals that this is a writer in total control...While the plot whisks you breathlessly along, it lays out the bones of a debate about race and parenthood (Sunday Times, Pick of the Paperbacks)

Just finished Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and now I feel bereft (Nigella Lawson)

Just read it. It's a masterclass in characterisation. Outstanding (Matt Haig)

To say I love this book is an understatement. It's a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears (Reese Witherspoon)

I am loving Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Maybe my favorite novel I've read this year (John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars)

Little Fires Everywhere is already setting America ablaze...it held me completely, from start to finish - held me in the sense that even when I wasn't reading it, some part of my head was straining to find out where it would lead next...what will absolutely ensure the success of this book is that while the plot whisks you breathlessly along, it lays out the bones of a debate about race and parenthood - a debate in which Ng deftly, dutifully ensures that everyone has a point (Sunday Times)

A burning house sparks tensions within an all-too-perfect suburban community in a story exploring race, identity and family secrets...She manages the impressive feat of allowing us simultaneously to sink into the world she creates and boggle at its naivety and self-satisfaction...At the same time, the pace and structure of the story keep us turning the pages...This is a novel that convinces and compels; it's a pleasure to read (Guardian, Book of the Day)

The book of the moment (India Knight, Sunday Times)

A free spirit shakes up a complacent community in this wry, beautifully observed novel...One of Ng's strengths is that she makes virtue and normality as fascinating as venality and eccentricity...It is beautifully written (The Times)

It's hard to sum up in this limited space just how fabulous this book is - but trust us, you do not want to miss it. It explores mother-daughter relationships, teen angst, race, love and more, and there's a rumbling corker of a plot twist....Totally unforgettable (Heat's Unmissables)

Book Description:

The New York Times Top Ten Bestseller