Celeste Ng – BookBunnies

Today Marshmallow reviews Little Fires Everywhere, a 2017 novel by Celeste Ng, which has been turned into a one-season TV series in 2020.

Marshmallow reviews Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. — Marshmallow reviews *Little Fires Everywhere* by Celeste Ng.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about family (specifically the relationship between a mother and their children) and racial differences, then this is the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Pearl Warren has lived her whole life moving from one place to another. Her mother Mia is a photographer, an artist who finishes one project, sells it, and then decides to move on. To support herself and Pearl, she works odd jobs at restaurants or shops. But after a close brush with Pearl’s pneumonia, Mia decides that a nomadic life isn’t good enough for her developing daughter who is missing out on a normal life. So they settle down in Shaker Heights, the first, fully planned community in America.

In Shaker Heights, the houses are all color coordinated and regulated to be perfectly in order. But it’s not just the houses that are picture perfect. Every person in Shaker Heights is born with a set plan: success, planned success at that. The epitome, the poster child of this planning approach is Elena Richardson. Born in Shaker Heights, she followed her plan to the smallest detail: high school, college, job, marriage, children. Now wealthy, living with a husband, four children, and two houses, she generously rents her extra house to those she feels deserve a better chance, a chance to live in Shaker Heights. Shaker Heights’ schools and environment is expensive but full of opportunity, a place that many wouldn’t be able to afford. So out of Mrs. Richardson’s generosity, Mia and Pearl are able to move into a house, permanently, Mia promises.

The Richardson family has four children, all of whom fascinate Pearl. The oldest daughter (a senior), Lexie, is confident and mature in a way Pearl wishes to be able to emulate. The oldest son (one year older than Pearl and a junior) is named Trip. Trip is athletic and very popular with girls, including Pearl. The younger son (a sophomore, the same age as Pearl) named Moody befriends Pearl and invites her to the fascinating Richardson house. The first three Richardson children match Elena’s plan, but the youngest child, Izzy (a freshman), doesn’t fit in and doesn’t seem to want to fit in. She is rebellious and contends with her mother to frustrate her. But when Izzy meets Mia and her art, she becomes almost obsessed with Pearl and her mother’s lifestyle.

In the opposite fashion, Pearl becomes obsessed with the Richardsons and their entrancing life. But with a growing, intensifying crush on Trip and a budding friendship with Lexie, her original friend in the Richardson family (Moody) becomes a little neglected. Eventually, Trip reciprocates her feelings and they engage in sexual relationships. Meanwhile, Lexie gets pregnant with her boyfriend. But in Shaker Heights, where greatness is a given, pregnancy is not tolerated in teenagers. So when she gets an abortion, out of embarrassment, she puts her name down as Pearl.

At the same time, Elena’s old friend Linda McCullough (who also returned to Shaker Heights after college) is having issues of her own. Mrs. McCullough and her husband have been trying to have children for fourteen years while Elena was giving birth to four children at one-year intervals. So when Mrs. McCullough is informed there is a baby they can adopt, she is overjoyed. The baby was dropped off at the fire station in a cardboard box with blankets. The baby’s mother is unknown and anonymous. So when her new baby’s first birthday (still during the adoption process) comes around, she invites her old friend Elena. Mia hears about the McCulloughs’ new baby and is shocked to realize that one of her coworkers at a Chinese restaurant is the baby’s mother. Bebe Chow is a Chinese immigrant whose boyfriend abandoned her after learning that she was pregnant. She worked to support her child, but, in a moment of desperation, she left her baby at the fire station. Afterwards, she desperately tried to get her baby back for a year. Now that she knows where her baby is, Bebe goes to the press, following Mia’s advice. This becomes a huge news story dividing people into camps, and the coverage eventually earns Bebe visitation rights and a lawyer.

The situation is very difficult. The McCulloughs genuinely love the baby with all of their hearts, especially after spending fourteen years waiting for one. However, Bebe really wants her baby now, having only left her due to extreme poverty and depression. Now, she has a more stable job and wants to take care of her baby. Also, her lawyer says that as a Chinese baby, Bebe’s baby won’t be connected to her heritage unless she is raised by her Chinese mother.

So in summary, Shaker Heights was perfectly planned, but with the arrival of Mia and Pearl, chaos ensues. Nothing will be the same again.

Marshmallow is reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. — Marshmallow is reading *Little Fires Everywhere* by Celeste Ng.

Marshmallow’s Review: I really liked this book. I did have very high expectations; Celeste Ng’s other book, Our Missing Hearts, is one of my favorites ever. Celeste Ng’s writing is unique in a way I can’t describe with words. Something about her writing puts her on another level. She writes so simply, yet provides overwhelming detail: clear and concise. So I really wanted to read another book written by her.

And Little Fires Everywhere is definitely not a disappointment. The world the author creates is realistic yet retains an air of fantasy in a way. The storyline is unique and different from most books. Just like in Our Missing Hearts, Ng always gives convincing and deep backstories and context before extending the plot further.

The storyline is rich and complex, but easily understandable. There is some inappropriate content for younger bunnies. Underage characters do engage in sexual activity, however, there is no explicit, overly detailed scenes (unlike the, cough, Shatter Me series, cough cough 🤨). Teenage pregnancy is mentioned, as is abortion. The topic of motherhood and what it means to be a mother is a pervasive theme throughout the book. The relationship between parent and child is explored deeply through the lives of several different characters. The topics in the book (specifically the conflict between the McCulloughs and Bebe) are complicated and cannot be answered in a simple manner. The book also seems to have a message about the value and limitations of planning. Celeste Ng seems to imply that some parts of life cannot and should not be planned.

I think this was a fascinating, deep, and interesting book that had an impact on me, emotionally and intellectually. Of course, some content might make it better for older bunnies, perhaps 14 and up. And the ending, for me, was not satisfying, but it fit the style of Celeste Ng (which again, I don’t know how to describe). Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to all bunnies.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Little Fires Everywhere* by Celeste Ng 100%.

Today Marshmallow reviews Our Missing Hearts, a novel by Celeste Ng, first published in 2022. Sprinkles has also read the book and is asking her questions, while also taking notes.

Marshmallow reviews Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. — Marshmallow reviews *Our Missing Hearts* by Celeste Ng.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow let us start at the beginning. In your reviews, you always start by telling us who this book would be good for. So go ahead.

Marshmallow: This book would be a good choice for readers who enjoy realistic fiction. Or if you are interested in possible near-futures in the United States, especially dystopian ones, this might be the book for you.

S: Okay, I think that is a good start. Can you give us a brief summary of the plot?

M: Sure. So there is this kid whose mother ran away after her poem was used in controversial protests about this law called PACT.

S: Okay, so maybe let us stop there a bit. Tell us about the setting, and of course, PACT.

M: PACT stands for Protecting American Culture and Traditions Act. This law was, in the book, passed about ten years before the story starts. And it essentially allows the government to do things that are supposedly in the interest of preserving American culture. In reality, it is used to take children away from their families, if the families are not “American” enough. In this world, the law specifically targets Asian Americans, due to a fear of China.

S: The author may have been somewhat inspired by the USA PATRIOT Act that was passed after 9/11, and it was very controversial too, because many argue that it cut into people’s civil liberties. This PACT Act was passed after a different but very impactful crisis, right?

M: Yes, and in fact, in the book that crisis was called The Crisis. That left everyone very susceptible to xenophobia, and some people blamed China for all that went wrong, and then of course that distrust of China translated into a distrust of Chinese Americans and then spread all over to a distrust of all Asian Americans. So when the government began to remove children from the homes of some Asian American families, most of the other people remained quiet, believing that there should be a reason for the removal. And most people did not even know how many children were being taken away. The numbers and the full impact of the removals were downplayed by the media, and the families who dared to speak out were demonized.

S: But still there were some protests against the law and these removals, right?

M: Yes, and those are my favorite part of the book actually.

S: So tell us about them.

M: I liked the protests because they were so creative. For example, one involved a bunch of trees which were wrapped up with red yarn and small dolls representing the stolen children. And they were mainly emotional and only subtly political, so people would be more intrigued by them rather than immediately dismiss the message.

S: And that is where the title of the book comes in, right?

M: Yes. The poem that the main character’s mom wrote is called “Our Missing Hearts,” and the protestors took that as their motto, that they wanted their missing hearts to be brought back.

S: Okay, so let us get back to the main character and the plot then.

M: Yes, the main character is a twelve-year-old boy named Bird. Actually his legal name is Noah Gardner, but his mom Margaret Miu always called him Bird, but since she left, people are calling him Noah again. And she left because her poem became too visible with the protests, and Bird’s parents were worried that the government would take Bird away. The mother left so that Bird would at least be able to continue to live with his dad.

S: So the book starts with Bird getting a message which he believes is from his mom.

M: And it is full of cat drawings. And it triggers some memories, Bird is not sure why he knows it is from his mom, but he is sure it is from her. And that part is also very neat. but I cannot say more without spoilers.

S: I guess that is fair. Let us stop with the plot then.

Marshmallow is reading Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. — Marshmallow is reading *Our Missing Hearts* by Celeste Ng.

S: Tell us a bit about the characters.

M: Well, there is Bird, who is the boy who is looking for his mom. And there is Sadie, a half-black girl who was removed from her family because they spoke out against PACT. The law is mainly targeting Asian Americans, but anyone who speaks up against it is also in danger. So Bird meets her at school, where she is sort of an outcast. Sadie is braver than Bird, and she becomes his friend. And then we also meet Bird’s parents. Margaret plays a big role in a large part of the book; she tells her story and we learn about the Crisis a bit more from her. But anyways, Margaret is maybe more timid than Sadie and her parents, and she ran away instead of fighting, but then again, running away meant that maybe her child would be able to stay with his dad, and it could also be seen as a brave sacrifice.

S: Agreed. So did you feel like you connected with these characters? Did you like any of them a lot? Did any of them make you angry or feel something strongly? Did they feel like real people?

M: I think they were all pretty well developed. I thought reading Bird’s perspective felt like I was seeing the world through his eyes, it was a pretty bad place, but anyways, very realistic. And when Margaret told her story, you could also hear her voice very clearly. So I think the author was very successful in creating very compelling and very realistic characters.

S: I agree with you, again. Okay, so I am guessing you liked this book? I certainly did, and that is why I suggested you read it, too.

M: Yea. I really liked it. I’d rate it 100%.

S: That is high praise coming from you, Marshmallow.

M: Yes, I think Our Missing Hearts is a really good book.

S: Okay, so how do we finish this review? What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing book reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Our Missing Hearts* by Celeste Ng 100%.