Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Discussion Questions

Inside: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng book club discussion questions

Little Fires Everywhere is the official book club selection for September 2024 in the Happy Simple Mom Book Club.

I enjoyed this book and read it quickly. The book touched on complicated mother-daughter relationships, which I imagine any parent or child could relate to in some respect with one or more characters throughout the book. The opening chapter hooks you in, and it gives a nod to the title of the book.

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Happy Simple Mom Book Club September 2024 Pick: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

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September 2024 Pick: Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Discussion Questions

Genre: Family Life Fiction; Asian American Fiction

Length: 368 pages

Audio Length: 11 hours and 27 minutes

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Publisher’s Description:

From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Our Missing Hearts comes a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned—from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors 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 teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than 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 status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons 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 unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood—and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

SPOILER ALERT!!! The following discussion questions WILL give away things from the book. Read at your own risk.

Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Discussion Questions

Question 1:

Do you think planned communities like Shaker Heights have more pros or cons?

Question 2:

Do you think Mrs. Richardson regretted the path she took for her “perfect life”?

Question 3

Why do you think Mrs. Richardson had such an issue with Mia?

Question 4

The kids put toothpicks in all the locks at the school. Did you ever play a big prank in school? What was it?

Question 5

Do you think the judge made the right decision in the Mirabelle/May Ling trial? Would you have decided differently?

Question 6

Do you feel like McCulloughs would have eventually figured out how to best teach MIrabelle about her birth culture?

Question 7

Do you think Mia thought about the baby (Pearl) being part of her and carrying her genes before Warren said something about being the child’s uncle and being upset that she planned on “selling her baby”?

Question 8

If Warren had lived, do you think Mia would have gone through with the surrogate-adoption arrangement?

Question 9

Mia had to be very thrifty and creative to make ends meet. What are some of the most creative things you did when things were tough financially?

Question 10

There were quite a few complicated mother-daughter relationships in this book. Which relationship stood out to you the most?

Question 11

The author often referred to thoughts the characters had years later. Did you like the foreshadowing insight on the future?

Question 12

Why do you think the Richardson children were so drawn to Mia and Pearl? Conversely, why do you think Pearl and Mia were so drawn to the Richardsons?

Question 13

Have you seen the show, Little Fires Everywhere? If so, do you think they did a good job with the casting of parts now that you have read the book?

Looking for other books in the Happy Simple Mom Book Club? Check out all the most recent book club picks here.

What were your thoughts on the September Happy Simple Mom book club pick, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng? Let me know in the comments below.