Our Missing Hearts

It’s impossible not to be moved, — Stephen King

Stunning…this novel will break your heart and fire up your courage, — Mail on Sunday

The New York Times bestseller, a deeply heart-wrenching novel about the unbreakable love between a mother and child and a TIMES BEST PAPERBACK OF APRIL 2023 

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

Ng's compelling writing paints a picture of a world so real you can almost touch it. Despite the darkness of the story, the love of a family stands out, — Independent

Little Fires Everywhere became a global phenomenon and now author Celeste Ng is back with another gripping tale, — Irish Mail on Sunday

Powerful and brilliant, — Vogue

A stunning story of injustice and resistance...Lyrical, intricate, unsparing: this novel will break your heart and fire up your courage, — Mail on Sunday

Thought-provoking... My heart broke and was remade several times over by this book, — Good Housekeeping

Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching...I was so invested in the future of this mother and son, and I can't wait to hear what you think of this deeply suspenseful story! — Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club October ’22 Pick)

Ng's third novel is eagerly awaited and does not disappoint...Our Missing Hearts deftly weaves together a coming-of-age story with a threatening vision of a heavily censored future, — Daily Express

Shot through with vivid color and rising hope, an unflinching yet life-affirming drama about the power of art and love to push back in dangerous times...Ng's brilliance lies in leaving the reader with an unshakable belief that against all odds, people will find the courage to resist, revolt, and defend . . . remarkable, — Oprah Daily

One of the biggest books of the year...deeply moving, — Stylist

[A] feat of meaty storytelling...Ng effortlessly combines a character-led family story with a detective tale, a tribute to books and storytelling and a confrontation with history...a story that is exceptionally powerful and scaldingly relevant, — Observer

A beautiful, thoughtful book...Brilliant and moving, — Hello magazine

Remarkable and deeply moving... as moving as it is gripping. [Ng] is an astute writer...her writing feels gorgeously supple, — The i

A lyrical and touching testimony to maternal love, it's also a salutary reminder of how easily freedoms can be lost and of the power of words to change lives, — Daily Mail

Beautifully stirring and heart-wrenching, this powerful novel from the author of Little Fires Everywhere is a homage to love and will tug at your heartstrings, — Heat, Book of the Month

Tense, poignant and chilling, — Grazia

[Ng] has really hit her authorial stride in her eagerly anticipated third novel, Our Missing Hearts... It's her masterful weaving huge themes of race, class, privilege and identity with the simplicity of everyday lives that has made her a deserved international phenomenon, — Daily Mirror

On another level, Our Missing Hearts is a meditation on the sometimes accidental power of words... I won't give away the splendid conclusion of Ng's book; suffice it to say the climax deals with the power of words, the power of stories and the persistence of memory. It's impossible not to be moved by Margaret Miu's courage, or to applaud her craftiness, — Stephen King, New York Times

Ng, whose previous novels subtly probed tensions surrounding race,class, and gender, boldly tackles anti-Asian racism head-on, — Time magazine, 100 Must-Read Books of 2022