Little Fires Everywhere

by Celeste Ng

It had not occurred to them, then or at any point until now, to regret the loss of her old name.

It was a place you could take refuge, if you knew how to get in. And each time you left it, each time your child passed out of your sight, you feared you might never be able to return to that place again.

and she was certain that no one could ever love this child as she did.

All her life, she had learned that passion, like fire, was a dangerous thing.

Rules existed for a reason: if you followed them, you would succeed; if you didn’t, you might burn the world to the ground.

It was like training yourself to live on the smell of an apple alone, when what you really wanted was to devour it, to sink your teeth into it and consume it, seeds, core, and all.

“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.”