Little Fires Everywhere

Discuss the importance of Shaker Heights, Ohio, as the setting for the novel. How does the town’s liberal history and social order play into the larger tensions that unfold throughout the novel?

Mia and Mrs. Richardson represent two different methods for motherhood. Compare how their approaches to motherhood differ. Does the novel tend to be more sympathetic toward one form of motherhood over the other? 

Discuss Mrs. Richardson’s growing resentment of Mia. What threat does Mia pose to Mrs. Richardson’s way of life? What pushes Mrs. Richardson to pursue increasingly drastic means to uncover the secrets of Mia’s life? 

The town debate over the Mirabelle/May Ling custody case is as much about rightful parenthood as it is about race. What role does racial identity play in the debate and final decision regarding the custody case? What is revealed about the town’s racial attitudes based upon their allegiances?

The novel slowly unveils the truth behind Mia’s past and the circumstances of Pearl’s birth. How does this narrative technique add to the persistent debate throughout the novel about the right to parent or motherhood? 

Pearl is introduced in the novel as a precocious child whose youthful identity becomes a blend of her nomadic life with Mia and the influence of the Richardsons. How does Pearl come to negotiate these two contrasting influences in her life by the end of the novel? What do her choices suggest about the larger life lessons she has learned? 

Mia’s work as an artist draws in people like Izzy and generates resentment from Mrs. Richardson. Her art-making process is a source of fascination and puzzlement, yet the descriptions of her process relay an important message about the way that art can change the way we look at the world and ourselves. What types of art create such shifts within each character? Why are these shifts significant to those impacted? 

Mia leaves behind handcrafted gifts for each member of the Richardson family. Discuss one of the gifts, how it was made or described, and why it is the most appropriate way to witness that particular character’s internal life.