As usual, I didn't read any reviews before diving into this novel, which the aforementioned sister also told me to read. It has an overall high score on a few platforms, but the very first review of Goodreads is a funny 1-star. It seems the reviewer doesn't do much self-reflection on her reactions to what she reads and actually demonstrates one of the main themes of the novel- the narrowness of (white) suburban life. The reviewer talks about how Ng lays the story out as black/white good/bad, without any apparent connection to which characters also live that way. The irony seems lost on her completely.
So, the overarching story- a misfit living in a staid community- isn't new. It reminded me of Edward Scissorhands in a lot of ways. And, at times, I felt like it was too ambitious, trying to cram in too many conflicts and hot-button topics. But, Ng pulls all the threads together to set off the Big Finale. I imagine it like a person holding the tails of several helium filled balloons, each floating at a slightly different altitude, each with a different length of ribbon trailing. And Ng ties all those strings in a knot, but leaves a ragged, untidy tail at the very end. And here is one thing I really liked about the book.
When I'm in the mood for fluff, I want an easy story. I want people to fall together over time and live happily ever after. When I'm in the mood for a challenge, I like books like Little Fires Everywhere. There's no explicit happy ending for anyone. So I'm left to decide ... Does Pearl ever meet her grandparents? The Bryans? Does Izzy follow Mia's footsteps and become a great artist, or a poor drifter scraping by on talent? Will Lexie return to Shaker Heights upon graduation? Does Elena ever learn the truth about all her suspicions? Is the Richardson family every reunited? What kind of life does Pearl pursue? Does Mia ever put down roots? How does she handle Pearl becoming an adult? So. Many. Questions. And I feel like Ng has done well enough introducing me to the characters, that I have an idea of which path they will take and whether they will have regrets.
And while the novel tackles many topics like racism, classism, trans-racial adoption, immigrant experience, death, and abortion, I think the overall theme is regrets. Each character, even the minor ones, have a moment on which their lives balance and every choice they make after is based on whether or not they regret that initial one. Like Mia tells Lexie, they just have to carry it.
One writing choice I find interesting is when Ng calls the white suburban women by their first names and when she calls them Mrs. Lastname. It definitely sets a tone for the reader to distance themselves from these characters for large parts of the book, especially when they are doing the wrong thing. But it's also a snapshot into that suburban life. The rules, propriety, and formality. Last names surround these women and protect them from revealing vulnerabilities. Mrs. Richardson is a successful, orderly, pragmatic, and reasonable woman. Elena is a friend, a young woman who had to choose between safety and romance. Also interesting is that each of the Richardson children go by nicknames, the only characters to do so except for a bit parts played by college roommate, Betsy-cum-Elizabeth, and a professor's partner.
Several reviewers comment that they feel manipulated by Ng's storytelling, but also that the omniscient narrator is unsettling. They want to decide who is good and who is bad and simultaneously want the story from a single perspective. That, in itself, is a thread I'd like to pick at. Perhaps there is some resistance to feeling sympathetic towards a character they feel is immoral. Maybe there is some dissonance connected to the rule follower making several unethical moves. I didn't feel like any one character was the good guy or the bad guy, with the exception of Pearl, who is just batted about on the waves of everyone around her mostly. For me, it seems like the characters are all flawed, all make serious mistakes and bad choices, and then ... here's the message I think Ng is trying to give us ... they continue on with life, carrying that weight.
No comments:
Post a Comment