Little Fires Everywhere

I hate how long it's been since I read this book and I'm just now sitting down to right about it. I read this weeks ago. But, as the title suggests, life is about little fires. And, so far in 2019, they're everywhere.

This book has been on my list for a long time, as someone told me it's a "must read." Someone else described it as a "teen version of Big Little Lies." What it was for me, ultimately, was a story about those who choose to suppress their deepest desires and those who choose to let it all burn in order to feed that voice inside.

The book begins in the same place where it ends, with a family's home burning to the ground. Instantly, the author reveals the most likely arsonist. She happens to be the teenage girl who lives inside. While the pages in between describe what led up to that moment, it ultimately brings you back to the same conclusion. What you learn along the way is motive - not just of the fire starter, but also of two families with very different reasons for why they've ended up where they are.

This book tells complex stories about families, choices, passion, decisions and what holds us back from following the path we most desire. It's also about the way we choose to judge others for making the choices we're not brave enough to make. It's about mothers and daughters, too, and the complex relationships between the two.

Someone told me this book was too slow for their taste. I didn't feel that. While I wasn't dying to get to the next page, I was enthralled enough with the characters that it kept me interested. On Good Reads, I gave it 4 stars, but 3.75 is probably more accurate. It's more of a slow burn than an inferno.