Little Fires Everywhere starts with several fires being set at the Richardon's large family home in Shaker Heights, Ohio as the Richardson parents and the Richardson's oldest children watch their home burn to the ground. All suspect that the youngest child, Izzie, is the one who set the fires. Intriguing, right? Makes you wonder right off the bat why they all seem so certain that their youngest daughter was the arsonist... or why Izzie might want to burn down the house.
I did a little research about Shaker Heights, Ohio, to discover if it really is as orderly as it was portrayed in the novel. Shaker Heights in a nearby suburb of Cleveland, one of the first true suburbs in the United States, and it was developed as a planned community. In the 80s, integration was encouraged - and planned. To this day, it has strict building codes.
Mrs. Richardson is a perfect fit for Shaker Heights, where she grew up. She's a real rules player. Most things in her life seem pretty black or white with very few shades of gray. She owns rental property in a less affluent part of town from where the family lives and tries to rent it to people who she feels need some sort of assistance. New tenants, Mia Warren, and her daughter, Pearl, move in. Mia is an artist and she and Pearl have been on the move all of Pearl's life. Mia is as opposite from a rules player as you can possibly be.
All the Richardson kids are drawn to either Mia or Pearl and the relationships are crossed and essentially change the dynamics between the members of the Richardson family. When a custody battle between Mrs. Richardson's oldest friend and a co-worker of Mia ensues, lines are drawn. Not just within the two parties involved and the Richardsons and Mia Warren but throughout the whole town.
I enjoyed listening to the book and might look for a way to watch the series on Hulu which I do not currently subscribe to.
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