The first half of the story follows a 12-year-old boy, Bird, in a version of the US where a Crisis occurred, blamed on China, resulting in racism against anything Asian. The legislation is called PACT and it even allows children to be taken away from parents who protest against the law or who do anything deemed unpatriotic. Bird lives with his father; his mother left to protect him, after her poetry became an inspiration for protesters. Bird starts to find clues about his mother, eventually putting himself in danger to seek her.

This was an impressively crafted novel which had much thought put into it. I found it depressing but was interested to see what happened to Bird. However, I struggled after the halfway point when there is a lot of description of recent history and the story of his mother. I would have preferred flashbacks or other more immediate ways of narrating this part of the story, rather than his mother reciting what sounds like an essay. The book unfortunately exhibits one of my pet hates, the absence of quotation marks in dialogue. I don’t understand why authors do it.

I feel this is an important book which I’m glad to have read, but I didn’t enjoy it.

Published in 2022.

The adoption of a Chinese baby by a white family is the issue which divides the community of Shaker Heights in Ohio and ultimately sets off a chain reaction of events. However, this does not occur until a third of the way through the story. The main focus is the wealthy, wholesome Richardson family and their tenants, unconventional artist Mia and her daughter Pearl. Much of the story is actually a flashback, as it begins with the Richardsons’ house on fire and then the narrative explores what happened leading up to this. I thought it was a really fascinatingly told story with well-drawn characters, most of whom are teenagers.

The story is set in 1997-8. I’m not sure if there’s a reason for this, other than a little nostalgia (the author graduated high school that year). Maybe she wanted to write teenagers without having to include the smartphones which now dominate their lives. The setting of Shaker Heights, with its aura of suburban perfection, is actually real – the author grew up there.

Little Fires Everywhere is an excellent read and I look forward to whatever Ng writes next.

First published in 2017.

Set in 1970s Ohio, the story begins with the death of sixteen-year-old Lydia. What follows is an exploration of the events and experiences which led to this tragedy and also the aftermath. Everything is centred on the Lee family: James and Marilyn, and their children Lydia, Nath and Hannah. The novel is partly about how parents live through their children and pressurise them to do better than they did. James, who as a Chinese American found he never belonged, is eager for his kids – Lydia in particular – to fit in and have lots of friends. Marilyn, whose ambition to become a doctor was sacrificed to her role as mother and housewife, buys medical textbooks for Lydia and would rather she concentrated on physics than friends. The novel is also about perceptions of race and how people don’t always see beyond others’ appearance and backgrounds. I found it odd to see the word ‘Oriental’, a word which was probably common at the time the book is set and which now is often considered as politically incorrect.

The story is told in the third person from different characters. I’m not usually a fan of third person narrative but this was well done. The narrative got right inside the head of each family member. The characterisation is very strong; they are real people. Another positive point about this book is that the length is just right.

Highly recommended. First published in 2014.