Robert Blumenthal
asked
Celeste Ng:
Hi. I just finished Little Fires Everywhere and absolutely loved every word of it. Congratulations on creating such a compelling and timely story. I noticed as I was reading it that the Richardsons and McColloughs were referred to as Mr. and Mrs. rather than by their first names, while Mia, Bebe and the children were all referred to by their first names. I assumed that this was to show the class distinctions?
Celeste Ng
Partly, but it's also to show what kind of characters they are. As a teen, I had friends' parents who told me to call them by their first names--and then parents who insisted on being called "Mr." and "Mrs." That tells you something about how they view themselves, and the same is true with Mrs. Richardson, Mia, and the other characters in the book.
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Chad Malkamaki
asked
Celeste Ng:
Amazing job with Little Fires Everywhere, I've lived in greater Cleveland my whole life, in the city the last ten years, and I'm very close to the age of the characters in the book. You nailed the feeling of growing up in the city and have done one of the best jobs of representing the stores, restaurants, and hangouts. I know you lived in Shaker but why did you choose to set the book in a place you know so well?
Jann
asked
Celeste Ng:
Hi Celeste! I just finished your book and loved it!! Beautiful writing. Very poignant. I was struck by your use of verb tense in the book. Very masterfully handled - could have been a train wreck in a less talented writer's hands. It was also very effective. What made you choose the different verb tenses in the book as a writing device?
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