3 Things to Know About ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ If You Didn’t Read the Book

Celeste Ng’s bestselling 2017 novel becomes a slow-burn thrill in this eight-episode adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon as Elena, a type-A suburbanite whose family life is upended by nomadic black artist Mia (Kerry Washington).

For those who skipped book club…

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1. The setting is significant.

Fires — which exec producer Liz Tigelaar describes as “a story about race, white fragility and class” — takes place in 1997, “when people still had this idea that being ‘color blind’ was a good thing,” says Tigelaar.

2. But nothing is black or white.

While race plays a role in the tensions between Mia and Elena, Tigelaar says there’s way more going on: “Their relationship is layered.”

(Credit: Hulu)

3. Mia’s art is real.

Washington’s character paints and takes photos, so Tigelaar recruited artist Connie Martin Trevino to provide the product. “What she did was so beautiful,” she raves, hinting at a piece in the finale “that’s insane.”

Little Fires Everywhere, Series Premiere, Wednesday, March 18, Hulu