Our Missing Hearts by Celestine Ng

 

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng is a political novel dealing with anti-Asian attitudes and removing children from their families, no doubt a reflection on this country’s recent history as civic disruptions are taking place in the book, people are out of jobs, shortages of everything are occurring, mobs are looting stores, and riots take place in the streets. Coming out in October, Our Missing Hearts refers to a line in a poem by an Asian-American poet, who has gone into hiding because of such unrest in America at an unnamed time in the future other than after “the Crisis.”

Margaret Miu, the poet, left behind her husband Ethan Gardner and son Noah called Bird, to protect from having the son removed by the government. Ethan is broken-hearted, and Bird has a very small world in which he can function: he is not allowed too many questions, to stand out too much, or to wander very far. “Our Missing Hearts” has been made the battle cry by those opposed to the current government as they use it in banners and posters.

In this futuristic novel, everyone is governed by laws that preserve the American Culture after having experienced years of economic instability and escalated violence. These laws allow the government to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin. In addition, books are being scrutinized for patriotism, and any books hinting of sedition are removed from libraries.

The plot of the story involves Bird receiving a cryptic drawing in a letter from an unknown source. He explores the drawing, which ignites memories of the many folktales his mother told him before she decided to disappear to protect her family. As a 12-year-old, he decides to follow the postmark from New York City to find his mother and get answers to the forbidden questions. Meanwhile, Margaret is making a stand against the current government that may not yield the results she wants.

Celeste Ng’s previous works include Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere, which was made into a mini-series for Hulu. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 22, 2022.

I would like to thank Penguin Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.