Our Missing Hearts - Celeste Ng

Our Missing Hearts

By Celeste Ng

  • Release Date: 2022-10-04
  • Genre: Literary Fiction
Score: 4
4
From 1,068 Ratings

Description

An instant New York Times bestseller • A New York Times Notable Book • Named a Best Book of 2022 by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Daily, and more • A Reese's Book Club Pick • New York Times Paperback Row Selection

From the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, comes the inspiring new novel about a mother’s unshakeable love.
 
“Riveting, tender, and timely.” —People, Book of the Week

"Remarkable . . . An unflinching yet life-affirming drama about the power of art and love to push back in dangerous times." —Oprah Daily

“Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching . . . I was so invested in the future of this mother and son.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick)


Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. He doesn’t know what happened to her—only that her books have been banned—and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him. 

Then one day, Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, and soon he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of heroic librarians, and finally to New York City, where he will finally learn the truth about what happened to his mother, and what the future holds for them both.

Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and the power of art to create change.

Reviews

  • Fantastical, Far-Fetched, yet Frighteningly Possible

    5
    By nnsmom
    We would be naive to think these things couldn’t/wouldn’t happen in our lifetimes. They have. They do. This book cannot be put down. Every parent, every person who has ever loved — or dare I say BEEN — a child can find a nugget to grasp. Beautifully done, and such a worthwhile read.
  • Stunning.

    5
    By korty-korto
    This book is an absolute must read carrying deep implications from our human past and indicating how current events and thought patterns must inform our future considerations.
  • Okay

    4
    By DirtPeddler
    Just okay
  • Great Read

    5
    By rugby4752
    Wonderful and disturbing
  • PACT could be a reality

    5
    By winds of change or renewal
    The beauty among this dystopian, somber tale was lovely and creatively written. I enjoyed this, thoroughly. I hope Margaret and Bird are reunited one day. Their bond was palpable.
  • Our missing hearts

    5
    By luckylyndi2
    Will written and thought provoking
  • Boring

    1
    By Xdfht
    There is nothing worse than when authors write about dialogue but no actual dialogue. So incredibly boring, had to skim most. So, so redundant as well. Like, this one metaphor or image isn’t enough, let’s layer 8 more on top so the reader REALLY gets it. I love this author’s other books. Bummed I paid for this one.
  • Amazing

    5
    By 44kmc
    I literally read this in one all nighter. So many twists and turns!
  • I found this book pedantic and boring.

    1
    By Ali's Granny
    I found this book, pedantic and boring. I only made it for the first 35 pages. It took her pages to say what could’ve been said in one sentence, and she kept going over her point again and again, like I said, pedantic.
  • A must-read book

    5
    By Sunsets1990
    Similar to her first two novels, Celeste Ng did a spectacular job with writing Our Missing Hearts. The characters feel so real, the story is so riveting, and the world she has created in this book feels just realistic enough to make the scenerios terrifying. Such a beautiful, timely, and important book. Also, I love how Ng captures the amazing essence of librarians and libraries in this book. It was fun to read a story in which librarians are fictional heros, as well as real life heros.

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