"Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground, and start over. After the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way."
Dates read: June 1 - June 21
Genre(s): fiction, contemporary, domestic
Rating: 5/5 stars (it was amazing)
In the beginning, I read this novel at a slower pace than usual because I'm reading it with a book club and didn't want to get too far ahead. We're reading this book through the end of July, but once I got to the middle, I could not stop myself!
The first line is incredible.
"Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down."
Then, the paragraph goes into how the original gossip of the town involved the custody battle for a Chinese baby involving a different family in the town. From the first sentence, I was pulled into the story and left wondering how the events and characters could possibly be connected. I have not read Celeste Ng's other novel, but will definitely be picking it up in the near future.
The way she begins the book with an event that happens at the end and then weaves different stories together throughout the book in a non-linear order is something that I, as a writer myself, am intimidated by. It's challenging to be able to write non-linearly and not confuse the reader, but Celeste Ng makes it seem easy!
Ng masterfully connects the characters and their values, as well as their separate stories, into an exploration of secrets and motherhood. This story was real and raw and powerful. I was completely invested!
I found the themes of identity and motherhood quite compelling, and the characters and their relationships were strong in their development. Because of my connections to and investments in the lives of various characters, I was tearing up at the end, which is a rare occurrence for me when reading (I cry easily, but more so with shows/movies.)
I identified most with Izzy (the outcast Richardson daughter,) although for a good portion of the beginning, she was given very little "page time." Most of what I knew about her at first was through other characters, mainly her siblings. I enjoyed how, as the story went on, I got to learn more and more about Izzy through her own perspective rather than the skewed perspectives of others.
Overall, this novel is a slow burn (pun intended) leading up to the astounding ending. I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
Some core questions the novel will make you think about are:
- What makes a "good" parent, specifically a good mother?
- Does everyone deserve a second chance?
- What should our limitations be in granting more chances?
- How does the symbolism of fire evolve/connect to the different characters?
- Can constantly following the rules truly avert disaster?
I started watching the Hulu adaptation last night and I'm interested to see what similarities and differences there will be. So far, I think the casting and writing were well done. Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon are amazing in their roles as mothers with differing backgrounds, values, and outlooks.
"Most of the time, everyone deserves more than one chance. We all do things we regret now and then. You just have to carry them with you."
The first line is incredible.
"Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down."
Then, the paragraph goes into how the original gossip of the town involved the custody battle for a Chinese baby involving a different family in the town. From the first sentence, I was pulled into the story and left wondering how the events and characters could possibly be connected. I have not read Celeste Ng's other novel, but will definitely be picking it up in the near future.
The way she begins the book with an event that happens at the end and then weaves different stories together throughout the book in a non-linear order is something that I, as a writer myself, am intimidated by. It's challenging to be able to write non-linearly and not confuse the reader, but Celeste Ng makes it seem easy!
Ng masterfully connects the characters and their values, as well as their separate stories, into an exploration of secrets and motherhood. This story was real and raw and powerful. I was completely invested!
I found the themes of identity and motherhood quite compelling, and the characters and their relationships were strong in their development. Because of my connections to and investments in the lives of various characters, I was tearing up at the end, which is a rare occurrence for me when reading (I cry easily, but more so with shows/movies.)
I identified most with Izzy (the outcast Richardson daughter,) although for a good portion of the beginning, she was given very little "page time." Most of what I knew about her at first was through other characters, mainly her siblings. I enjoyed how, as the story went on, I got to learn more and more about Izzy through her own perspective rather than the skewed perspectives of others.
Overall, this novel is a slow burn (pun intended) leading up to the astounding ending. I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
Some core questions the novel will make you think about are:
- What makes a "good" parent, specifically a good mother?
- Does everyone deserve a second chance?
- What should our limitations be in granting more chances?
- How does the symbolism of fire evolve/connect to the different characters?
- Can constantly following the rules truly avert disaster?
I started watching the Hulu adaptation last night and I'm interested to see what similarities and differences there will be. So far, I think the casting and writing were well done. Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon are amazing in their roles as mothers with differing backgrounds, values, and outlooks.
"Most of the time, everyone deserves more than one chance. We all do things we regret now and then. You just have to carry them with you."