Little Fires Everywhere Book and TV Character Comparisons
Little Fires Everywhere: Here's How the Characters on the Show Compare to Those in the Book
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In the book: Izzy is the youngest of the Richardson bunch. To say that she's the rebel of the family would be an understatement. She has a contentious relationship with her mother and gets along the least with Lexie and Trip. Throughout the novel, we see this angsty teen constantly trying break free from the strict confines of her perfectly etched life. While Pearl craves stability and becomes close with the Richardsons, Izzy craves freedom and becomes close with Mia.
On the show: Stott really captures Izzy's seething resentment toward Elena and her discontent with her life, as well as her desire to just be seen. Some of her snipes and stunts seem a little over-the-top (e.g. burning her hair off), but other antics that are faithful to the book (like writing "Not your puppet" on her forehead) translate well on screen. At some points, her dynamic with Mia even feels more organic and genuine than Mia and Pearl's relationship. From the moment she cracks a smile after Mia tells her "We artists gotta stick together," we know that there's a special connection.
The series also explores her sexuality, which doesn't happen in the book. It adds an interesting layer to her character, especially because it doesn't outright label her sexual orientation. All we know is that she isn't straight, she's the target of many homophobic remarks, and she's accused of sexually assaulting a female classmate. This variation from the book is important, though the sexual assault allegation just doesn't seem necessary, and it gets lost in the flames (pun intended) of everything else going on. We can do without it and still effectively see Izzy wrestle with her sexuality in an intolerant world.