I had trouble getting into this. The writing was super slow and just wasn't interesting. This was a DNF.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Press for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!

Celeste Ng's Our Missing Hearts is a slow, tense yet tender exploration of a family separated in the wake of a dystopian future eerily similar to our contemporary United States and the bond between a mother and the son she had to abandon. It is the definitive dystopian work of this burgeoning decade, pulling intensely from a number of current issues facing America, including the push for book bans in both school and public libraries in the name of protecting children, growing anti-Asian sentiment exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the history (and present) of removing children from their families as a means of political control. While it does suffer from rather heavy-handed exposition for a sizable chunk of the novel, Ng's most recent novel still shines when it focuses on the power of words and the tenuous dynamic between the protagonist, Bird Gardner, and his mother. 

The novel is told from two perspectives, Bird Gardner and his mother, Margaret Miu, as they go on a journey to reunite and understand who each other has become in their absence against the backdrop of a growing, odd little rebellion. Bird can barely remember life with his mother before she was taken by him due to her violations of PACT—Preserving American Culture and Traditions—which allow for children to be removed from their homes and separated from their parents in the name of preventing the spread of "dangerous" or "un-American" views. Suddenly, Bird receives a mysterious postcard from her, which sends him on a quest that has him traversing the hollow shells of public libraries and the streets of New York City to find his mother. When he finds her, Margaret shares why she had to leave him and, afterwards, all the testimonials she's gathered of other parents whose children were taken under PACT. The two slowly rebuild their bond as Margaret finalizes her act of defiance and an old promise to a mother: tell their stories. 

As always, Celeste Ng's prose is beautifully rendered. She has such a knack for creative, compelling metaphors that serve to conjure a distinct image and tone throughout all her books. It makes moments of tenderness, of violence, of hope all the more guttural to the reader. 

"Her cries wordless sounds, hanging in the air like shards of glass." 

My one qualm, as stated earlier, is that the novel is particularly heavy-handed with the exposition towards the middle half of this book once Bird and Margaret are reunited. I think it is important to delve into the backstory of Margaret to understand her willing naivety and the way her perspective on PACT shifts once her own words became a calling card for anti-PACT sentiment and protests against the re-placement of children. However, it grinds the momentum to a halt with extended flashbacks which, at moments, feel more like a history textbook. Unfortunately, the narrative and Bird's perspective as a child who cannot remember the Crisis strains against the idea of "show, don't tell" and struggles to convey exposition in a seemingly organic manner.

I think dystopian fiction lives or dies by its conclusion and Our Missing Hearts is no exception. I remember reading both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 in my senior year of high school as part of a dystopian unit for my AP Literature class. I enjoyed both, but I always preferred the latter due to its more ambiguous, but still hopeful ending. I will not spoil the ending of this book for those who have not read it, but there is a solid balance of stakes and hope for the future of this United States. It recognizes that part of the success of discriminatory and fascist institutions is individualism and a willing ignorance to the harms being committed against others. Others whose full humanity you do not recognize because they are not within your immediate circle of community. The possibility of solidarity is not entirely lost, though, and the hope and perseverance that the novel closes on is poignant and actually made me tear up while reading.

Generally speaking, I am a huge fan of Celeste Ng's writing. No one plumbs depth of character quite like she does. However this one was a stop and start for me. I didn't immediately fall into the writing the way I have with her other books. I found myself putting it down and reading other things before I picked this back up. Overall I didn't dislike the story but something about the pacing was off enough that I was never quite immersed.

In Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng gives us a chilling story of a dystopian future where children are taken away from their parents.. The government decides the parents are raising their children in an unacceptable political manner. This is a frightening tale of racism, nationalism, and what can happen when people look the other way.
I was given an ARC of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I have read this author's other books and was riveted. Something was missing in this one for me...it just didn't grab me like her other books. I may give it another try as I am a mood reader.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Our Missing Hearts is a provacative timely story about 12 year old Bird, who looks for his mother. His mother is a radical protestor, who uses art installations to protest the new laws of oppression. This book feels like it could be written as a contemporary to 1984 but also to a very real possibility to a not very distant future. Futuristic, but realistic, dystopian but with a small kernel of hope.

I love Celeste Ng and was waiting for this. It was so diffrent from her other work yet also filled with her familiar perspective and POV. I usually am not into dystopia stuff but this didn't feel like dystopia in so many ways we are already here.

In Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng creates a dystopian future that’s sadly conceivable. Books are banned. Asians are attacked and treated as criminals. It’s a compelling read.

Set in a dystopian society with laws that promote the perseverance of "American culture", Bird Gardner is a 12 year-old who lives with his father in dorms after Bird's mother, Margaret a Chinese American poet, disappeared. Authorities have taken to "relocating" children of Asian origin with parents who are classified as dissidents to the American ideals, libraries have been forced to remove books labeled as "unpatriotic," and violence has rippled throughout the country. After receiving a cryptic letter, Bird is drawn to through a network of librarians in search of his mother, which takes him to New York City.
Told from Bird's POV with flashbacks to Margaret's past, this novel tells of a dystopian future - maybe even an alternate reality? - where a crisis has torn the country (and the world) apart and has been rebuilt upon the foundation of bias, white supremacy, and racism towards Asian-Americans. This is a powerful narrative of the dangers that vitriolic rhetoric in politics have on society. Taken from true historical events, Celeste Ng creates a world that, at some point in our recent history, does not seem so far-fetched: violence, protests, unprovoked racial attacks, disappeared children. Ng also highlights the importance of art during times of unrest and this is such a meta form of the heavy themes in her novel. Absolutely thought-provoking, terrifying, and yet, somehow, hopeful.

Celeste Ng has such a way with family ties and all the nuance involved with relationships of many kinds that it’s insane. She does it yet again with Our Missing Hearts.

Books and libraries are other themes in the book, both of which are close to my heart. Ng addresses book bans in an interesting way through Bird and his father.

This didn’t hit quite as hard for me as Little Fires Everywhere, but Our Missing Hearts was a moving, layered read that would be an excellent book club pick. 4/5 for me!

I liked this book, but I couldnt say I loved it. After reading her previous books, I felt I didnt connect with this one as much. I felt that it was a bit too political for my liking and thats one topic I dont like.

Beautiful, chilling, profound. One of the best books of the year and one that I keep returning to over time.

This is good, but it's just too dark with the world being such a mess it is right now. Perhaps if I read it at a different time, I would like it more, but it's really hard to finish. It's truly dystopian & shows a dark vision of the future in the United States. I did like how the librarians in this book were the rebels who helped save people.

Reads like a YA novel, rather than adult. Does not seems to be very original and would not recommend it, despite the popularity of the author.

I will read anything Celeste Ng writes. This was a beautifully written book and I enjoyed every moment.

The story was topical, original, and well-plotted. The dystopian premise hit too close to home for me, and I found it troubling; but that is the fault of me, the reader, and not a comment on the talent of the prolific and gifted author.

We're in the world after the "crisis" where loyalty to America must be maintained without question and sympathizing with China is simply put, contrary to being a true American. Bird/Noah is living with his father after his mother Margaret, a Chinese American, leaves them one evening because she is being pursued by the authorities. The initial story of Bird/Noah trying to find out more about his mother and where she has gone moved a little slow for me but by mid-book it's all speed ahead. This has the feel of a cautionary tale about what can happen when prejudice and turning a blind eye can allow things to spiral out of control. It was troubling, uplifting and heartbreaking.

This book was a hard read because while being a dystopian fiction story it hits way too close to the current climate in the United States. It was a scary read but I felt like the ending was just too rushed and felt a lack of depth to the story - I wanted more. I guess wanting more of a story is a good thing.

This book feels too close to home given the current political climate. Although in my opinion to make these points the flow and tone of the book went a little juvenile and lost the overall strong characters and flow. Very good for book club discussions.

This was an amazing book. I couldn’t put it down! Compelling, thought-provoking— there were parts that made me wrestle with hard topics. And this is why I will automatically read ANYTHING that Celeste Ng writes.