Little Fires Everywhere

The title of the novel, Little Fires Everywhere, refers to not only the physical fire that Izzy starts but also the various social ruptures that have drastically altered the lives of the people in Shaker Heights. Identify three of these social ruptures and discuss how they might represent instances of “little fires” that accrue into larger transformations for the characters of the novel.

Discuss the importance of Shaker Heights, Ohio, as the setting for the novel. How does the town’s liberal history and social order play into the larger tensions that unfold throughout the novel?

Mia and Mrs. Richardson represent two different methods for motherhood. Compare how their approaches to motherhood differ. Does the novel tend to be more sympathetic toward one form of motherhood over the other?