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1-Page Summary of Little Fires Everywhere
Overall Summary
Celeste Ng’s novel, “Little Fires Everywhere”, is about two women who rent a house from Mrs. Richardson. They’re both artists and they raise Pearl, their daughter together. Mia and Pearl move in with the Richardsons because they need a place to live while Mia works on her art project. The interactions between all of them help shape each character’s personality more fully as well as influence how other characters act toward one another throughout the story line.
Meanwhile, the town is swept into a controversy over an abandoned baby. Mia’s coworker left her child at the firehouse after suffering from postpartum depression. The McCulloughs adopted that child, who just so happens to be Chinese, and named her Mirabelle or May Ling. Bebe tries to get in touch with the McCulloughs but fails; she then turns to Mia for help. After hearing about this situation, Mia figures out that Mirabelle must actually be Bebe’s daughter because of their similar backgrounds and names. When the news gets out about this story—thanks to Mia’s efforts—a custody battle ensues between Bebe and the McCulloughs.
The town of Shaker Heights is divided over the custody issue. Some people feel that Mia should have been left in her original home, while others felt that she was better off with her new parents. Mrs. Richardson sides with the McCulloughs because they are friends of hers and Mia’s previous mother is one of those who want to keep Mia in their custody. When she learns that it was actually Bebe who told Mia about where her baby was, she feels betrayed by Bebe as well and decides to investigate further into the matter by looking at a file on Mia’s past history.
A woman learns that her tenant is a surrogate who changed her mind about giving the baby to the child’s parents. The tenant then leaves with her daughter, but not before telling them why she was leaving and where they could find her if they wanted.
Meanwhile, the youngest child of the Richardson family, Izzy is upset with her parents for treating Mia and Pearl unfairly. She burns down their house in retaliation and runs away from home to join them on the road. The fire was so bad that they all had to stay at the Winslow’s while their own house was being rebuilt. When they finally arrive at Mia and Pearl’s last address, they find a gift envelope containing handmade gifts for each of them. Each gift reveals something intimate about their lives.
At the end of the story, Bebe breaks into McCullough’s home and steals back her daughter. She leaves for China, and Mrs. Richardson comes to terms with Izzy’s loss because she knows that she will not be returning.
Chapter 1
Izzy Richardson’s family house catches fire. Her mother is the only one at home, and she escapes safely. Izzy is missing from the scene, but her siblings think that she started the fire because of her past behavior. They’re right; when authorities investigate, they find matches in each room as if someone had set them on fire from within. The damage isn’t too bad in the end, but it does make Izzy’s siblings wonder what to do if their possessions are destroyed by a fire.
The night before, Mrs. Richardson sees Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl drive up to her house to drop off the keys of the house they were renting from them as a last step in ending their lease. The next morning, none of the Richardsons think about connecting the fire to Mia and Pearl’s departure because it was so quiet.
Chapter 2
A year before the fire, Mia and Pearl are moving into an upstairs apartment of a house that Mrs. Richardson inherited from her family in Shaker Heights. The downstairs tenant has been consistent for years, but she had inconsistent tenants for the upstairs one until she met Mia.
