While You Wait for Little Fires Everywhere
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, is a tremendously popular book. It's been on fire (I couldn't resist) since it was published in 2017, loved by readers and critics alike. It's a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and a series based on the novel is now streaming on Hulu, which is driving new readers to check out the book behind the show. Family dynamics are at the heart of the story, especially the question of what makes a good mother, the secrets we keep from those we love, and how the actions of one person impacts the family. The story also raises questions about privilege, class. and racial discrimination. It's a completely immersive story that won't let you go until the end. I waited on hold for this book for weeks and it was worth it! You might be in that holds line now. Fortunately there are plenty of great titles available to keep you busy while you wait. Check out these books for stories of family dynamics, secrets and cultural identity.
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
One of the threads of Little Fires Everywhere focuses on a Chinese immigrant who gives up her baby in the midst of illness and depression. She then changes her mind and seeks to regain custody from the wealthy white couple who has taken in her child. She is undocumented, poor, and Asian. The situation brings underlying presumptions to the surface and accents the privilege of the wealthy neighborhood where the adoptive family lives. In The Leavers Lisa Ko explores what happens when an undocumented mother disappears, leaving her 11 year-old son behind. He is adopted by a well-intentioned white couple who seeks to make him over into the perfect, all-American kid. Like Little Fires Everywhere, The Leavers explores identity and belonging. The flawed but sympathetic characters make us ask what we would do if faced with such difficult choices. Available instantly as an ebook or audiobook on Hoopla.
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
One of Patchett's strengths is fiction that explores the connections between people and how the choices one person makes can ripple out to impact many other lives. This makes her books perfect ties to Little Fires Everywhere. In Commonwealth Patchett explores the decades that follow a kiss between two people who are each married to someone else. The kiss ends two marriages and leads to six children becoming siblings. Years later, one of the siblings becomes romantically involved with a renowned author. She shares her story and he writes about it for all to read. This forces the family to revisit the past and face up to long-buried emotions. Available on Hoopla instantly as an ebook or audiobook.
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson
Like Little Fires Everywhere, The Almost Sisters explores hidden biases, family secrets, motherhood and white privilege, but the narrator is so wry and smart that the book is a fun read, and there is even a happy ending to look forward to at the end of the story. Leia is 38 and single when she becomes pregnant as the result of a one night stand. At the same time, she learns that her 90-year-old grandmother in Alabama is suffering from dementia. Leia returns home to help and to break the news to her family that she will soon be the single mother of a biracial child. As she works to clean up the family home, Leia discovers a long-hidden secret in the attic that changes everything she thought she knew about her family. Available instantly as an ebook or audiobook on Hoopla.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
I loved this book! Like Little Fires Everywhere, it's a page-turner that explores the ways our expectations shape our choices, and the impact we each have on the lives of others. In New York, 1969, the four Gold siblings sneak out one hot night to have their fortunes told and they all learn when they will die. Over the following decades, each makes choices about how to live the life ahead of them and whether or not to believe in the destiny foretold. One runs away to San Francisco, one spends her life researching ways to live a longer life, one becomes an illusionist on the lookout for real magic and the last becomes an Army doctor. Does destiny define us or do we make choices that bring about the destiny we expect? Benjamin weaves the story with a magic so subtle that you won't be sure. Available as an ebook or audiobook on OverDrive, but you may have to get in line.
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
This one is the stretch on the list, a dystopian novel among the contemporary fiction. However, if you're intrigued by how family is defined and the impact of cultural heritage, you'll find this compelling. In a near future, evolution is going backwards, the birth rate is way down and survival of the species is at stake. Erdrich's story focuses on Cedar, a young woman who is half Ojibwe by birth. She was adopted as an infant by a liberal white couple. Cedar is pregnant. As she comes to terms with the life growing within her she feels driven to find her biological mother. The government is tightening control over women and babies. Cedar must find a way to keep her baby safe and stay connected to her family. Erdrich brilliantly explores cultural heritage, the meaning of family and the power of motherhood. This is a well-plotted novel that reads like a thriller. Available as an ebook on OverDrive or instantly as an audiobook on Hoopla.
