Questions About Little Fires Everywhere

by Celeste Ng (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (168)

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Jackie L

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[I had mixed feelings about the ending too. I usually prefer long novels 500+ pages so there's time to truly develop characters and explain endings. It bothers me that Mrs. Richardson never received clarity on who had the abortion, of course I saw that coming a mile away when Lexie gave Pearl's name at the clinic. I know many teenage girls and not one would ever let her friend put her name down on that kind of a form. I'm surprised the book was written that way. It would have been more believable if Lexie just privately wrote Pearl's name showing her true nature, at lease how she was raised, to believe that she's somehow superior and isn't the kind of girl who would have an abortion, but would consider Pearl to be the kind of girl who would have one. Mrs. Richardson had no trouble at all believing it.
I also didn't like not knowing what happens to Izzy. While Mrs. Richardson is an awful mother to her, I do believe that she would spend the rest of her life searching for her. Partly because of the love I'm sure she has for her daughter, and partly because she's not the kind of mother, and the Richardson's are not the kind of family that has a wayward child who doesn't eventually straighten out and remain in the family fold, even if it's only for 3 days at Thanksgiving.
I would have liked to have had more introspection from Mia. Does she feel guilty about the child she stole? It's true Pearl is half hers, but she stole her away from Pearl's father and from his wife. She stole her away from her own parents as well.
Mia shows no sympathy for the McColloughs. Does she encourage Bebe to fight for her custody because Mia took custody of Pearl? If enough birth mothers win custody battles does that justify Mia's actions?
The McColloughs are portrayed as shallow and ignorant. Well meaning and kind, they would be shocked if anyone would perceive them as racist or elitist. The custody battle was the most contrived part of the book. In the end, I didn't like that the judge ruled in their favor, it's not realistic. Overwhelmingly the birth parent gets custody except in cases of abuse, so I struggled with that part of the book. Adopting a child from China was too much for me. Are they trying to replace the chinese baby they lost? is it one last attempt to make the McColloughs look bad? Why do we have to hate them? They suffer as much as or perhaps more than out heroine Mia, and we don't hate her.
I didn't think Trip was developed enough as a character. Why did we have to learn about his insecurities and true love for Pearl at the very end of the book? I would have wanted to see his reaction to Pearl's abrupt departure. I also would have wanted to see how it would have affected his relationship with his mother and brother.
I could go on and on. I truly enjoyed and got lost in this book. I couldn't put it down. So often I read a wonderful novel and feel like it's not really complete. Three hundred pages isn't nearly enough for a book with over 6 main characters and back stories. Maybe it's publishers who press deadlines or authors in a hurry to get to the next book, I'm not sure, but I will keep looking for larger tomes to feel fully satisfied at the end of a novel. While I loved this book, it feels incomplete. (hide spoiler)]

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Why was this woman, who seemed fairly affluent, buying baby clothes at Babies 'R Us?