Reviews
"In her first novel since the runaway hit Little Fires Everywhere , Celeste Ng ventures into (slightly) speculative fiction territory. Our Missing Hearts tells the story of 12-year-old Bird Gardner, who lives with his father in a near future governed by laws written to ''preserve American culture.'' Bird''s mother, a Chinese American poet whose work has been banned from libraries, left the family when he was nine. When a mysterious drawing spurs a quest to find her, Bird relies on an underground network of librarians and ancient folktales to guide him. Like Ng''s previous novels, this one promises to be thrillingly paced and deeply felt." -- Jessie, Gaynor, Literary Hub "Ng[''s] author''s note [is] itself a must-read. Indeed, so much of this utterly stupendous tale is hauntingly, horrifically, historically, currently all too real, from removing and caging children to anti-Asian hate crimes, violent protests, police brutality, and despotic (so-called) leadership. Yet Ng creates an exquisite story of unbreakable family bonds, lifesaving storytelling (and seemingly omniscient librarians!), brilliantly subversive art, and accidentally transformative activism. As lyrical as it is chilling, as astonishing as it is empathic, Our Missing Hearts arguably achieves literary perfection." --Booklist PRAISE FOR LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE : "Witnessing these two families as they commingle and clash is an utterly engrossing, often heartbreaking, deeply empathetic experience . . . The magic of this novel lies in its power to implicate all of its characters--and likely many of its readers--in that innocent delusion [of a post-racial America]. Who set the littles fires everywhere? We keep reading to find out, even as we suspect that it could be us with ash on our hands." --Eleanor Henderson, The New York Times Book Review "Ng has one-upped herself with her tremendous follow-up novel . . . a finely wrought meditation on the nature of motherhood, the dangers of privilege and a cautionary tale about how even the tiniest of secrets can rip families apart . . . Ng is a master at pushing us to look at our personal and societal flaws in the face and see them with new eyes . . . If Little Fires Everywhere doesn''t give you pause and help you think differently about humanity and this country''s current state of affairs, start over from the beginning and read the book again." --San Francisco Chronicle "Stellar . . . Ng is a confident, talented writer, and it''s a pleasure to inhabit the lives of her characters and experience the rhythms of Shaker Heights through her clean, observant prose . . . There''s a lovely, balanced, dioramic quality to this novel . . . broad in scope and fine in detail, all while keeping the story moving at a thriller''s pace." --Los Angeles Times "Delectable and engrossing . . . A complex and compulsively readable suburban saga that is deeply invested in mothers and daughters . . . What Ng has written, in this thoroughly entertaining novel, is a pointed and persuasive social critique, teasing out the myriad forms of privilege and predation that stand between so many people and their achievement of the American dream. But there is a heartening optimism, too. This is a book that believes in the transformative powers of art and genuine kindness--and in the promise of new growth, even after devastation, even after everything has turned to ash." --Boston Globe "If we know this story, we haven''t seen it yet in American fiction, not until now . . . This is, in the end, a novel about the burden of being the first of your kind--a burden you do not always survive." --Alexander Chee, The New York Times Book Review "Tender and merciless all at once . . . Vital in all the essential ways." --Jesmyn Ward, author of Sing, Unburied, Sing, PRAISE FOR LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE : "Witnessing these two families as they commingle and clash is an utterly engrossing, often heartbreaking, deeply empathetic experience . . . The magic of this novel lies in its power to implicate all of its characters--and likely many of its readers--in that innocent delusion [of a post-racial America]. Who set the littles fires everywhere? We keep reading to find out, even as we suspect that it could be us with ash on our hands." --Eleanor Henderson, The New York Times Book Review "Ng has one-upped herself with her tremendous follow-up novel . . . a finely wrought meditation on the nature of motherhood, the dangers of privilege and a cautionary tale about how even the tiniest of secrets can rip families apart . . . Ng is a master at pushing us to look at our personal and societal flaws in the face and see them with new eyes . . . If Little Fires Everywhere doesn't give you pause and help you think differently about humanity and this country's current state of affairs, start over from the beginning and read the book again." --San Francisco Chronicle "Stellar . . . Ng is a confident, talented writer, and it's a pleasure to inhabit the lives of her characters and experience the rhythms of Shaker Heights through her clean, observant prose . . . There's a lovely, balanced, dioramic quality to this novel . . . broad in scope and fine in detail, all while keeping the story moving at a thriller's pace." --Los Angeles Times "Delectable and engrossing . . . A complex and compulsively readable suburban saga that is deeply invested in mothers and daughters . . . What Ng has written, in this thoroughly entertaining novel, is a pointed and persuasive social critique, teasing out the myriad forms of privilege and predation that stand between so many people and their achievement of the American dream. But there is a heartening optimism, too. This is a book that believes in the transformative powers of art and genuine kindness--and in the promise of new growth, even after devastation, even after everything has turned to ash." --Boston Globe "If we know this story, we haven't seen it yet in American fiction, not until now . . . This is, in the end, a novel about the burden of being the first of your kind--a burden you do not always survive." --Alexander Chee, The New York Times Book Review "Tender and merciless all at once . . . Vital in all the essential ways." --Jesmyn Ward, author of Sing, Unburied, Sing, "[So] much of this utterly stupendous tale is hauntingly, horrifically, historically, currently all too real, from removing and caging children to anti-Asian hate crimes, violent protests, police brutality, and despotic (so-called) leadership. Yet Ng creates an exquisite story of unbreakable family bonds, lifesaving storytelling (and seemingly omniscient librarians!), brilliantly subversive art, and accidentally transformative activism. As lyrical as it is chilling, as astonishing as it is empathic, Our Missing Hearts arguably achieves literary perfection." --Booklist (starred review) "Like Ng's previous novels, this one promises to be thrillingly paced and deeply felt." --Literary Hub , "Most Anticipated Books of 2022" PRAISE FOR LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE : "Witnessing these two families as they commingle and clash is an utterly engrossing, often heartbreaking, deeply empathetic experience . . . The magic of this novel lies in its power to implicate all of its characters--and likely many of its readers--in that innocent delusion [of a post-racial America]. Who set the littles fires everywhere? We keep reading to find out, even as we suspect that it could be us with ash on our hands." --Eleanor Henderson, The New York Times Book Review "Ng has one-upped herself with her tremendous follow-up novel . . . a finely wrought meditation on the nature of motherhood, the dangers of privilege and a cautionary tale about how even the tiniest of secrets can rip families apart . . . Ng is a master at pushing us to look at our personal and societal flaws in the face and see them with new eyes . . . If Little Fires Everywhere doesn't give you pause and help you think differently about humanity and this country's current state of affairs, start over from the beginning and read the book again." --San Francisco Chronicle "Stellar . . . Ng is a confident, talented writer, and it's a pleasure to inhabit the lives of her characters and experience the rhythms of Shaker Heights through her clean, observant prose . . . There's a lovely, balanced, dioramic quality to this novel . . . broad in scope and fine in detail, all while keeping the story moving at a thriller's pace." --Los Angeles Times "Delectable and engrossing . . . A complex and compulsively readable suburban saga that is deeply invested in mothers and daughters . . . What Ng has written, in this thoroughly entertaining novel, is a pointed and persuasive social critique, teasing out the myriad forms of privilege and predation that stand between so many people and their achievement of the American dream. But there is a heartening optimism, too. This is a book that believes in the transformative powers of art and genuine kindness--and in the promise of new growth, even after devastation, even after everything has turned to ash." --Boston Globe "If we know this story, we haven't seen it yet in American fiction, not until now . . . This is, in the end, a novel about the burden of being the first of your kind--a burden you do not always survive." --Alexander Chee, The New York Times Book Review "Tender and merciless all at once . . . Vital in all the essential ways." --Jesmyn Ward, author of Sing, Unburied, Sing, "Remarkable . . . Ng crafts an affecting family drama out of the chilling and charged atmosphere, and shines especially when offering testimony to the power of art and storytelling . . . Ng's latest crackles and sizzles all the way to the end." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[So] much of this utterly stupendous tale is hauntingly, horrifically, historically, currently all too real, from removing and caging children to anti-Asian hate crimes, violent protests, police brutality, and despotic (so-called) leadership. Yet Ng creates an exquisite story of unbreakable family bonds, lifesaving storytelling (and seemingly omniscient librarians!), brilliantly subversive art, and accidentally transformative activism. As lyrical as it is chilling, as astonishing as it is empathic, Our Missing Hearts arguably achieves literary perfection." --Booklist (starred review) "Like Ng's previous novels, this one promises to be thrillingly paced and deeply felt." --Literary Hub , "Most Anticipated Books of 2022" PRAISE FOR LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE : "Witnessing these two families as they commingle and clash is an utterly engrossing, often heartbreaking, deeply empathetic experience . . . The magic of this novel lies in its power to implicate all of its characters--and likely many of its readers--in that innocent delusion [of a post-racial America]. Who set the littles fires everywhere? We keep reading to find out, even as we suspect that it could be us with ash on our hands." --Eleanor Henderson, The New York Times Book Review "Ng has one-upped herself with her tremendous follow-up novel . . . a finely wrought meditation on the nature of motherhood, the dangers of privilege and a cautionary tale about how even the tiniest of secrets can rip families apart . . . Ng is a master at pushing us to look at our personal and societal flaws in the face and see them with new eyes . . . If Little Fires Everywhere doesn't give you pause and help you think differently about humanity and this country's current state of affairs, start over from the beginning and read the book again." --San Francisco Chronicle "Stellar . . . Ng is a confident, talented writer, and it's a pleasure to inhabit the lives of her characters and experience the rhythms of Shaker Heights through her clean, observant prose . . . There's a lovely, balanced, dioramic quality to this novel . . . broad in scope and fine in detail, all while keeping the story moving at a thriller's pace." --Los Angeles Times "Delectable and engrossing . . . A complex and compulsively readable suburban saga that is deeply invested in mothers and daughters . . . What Ng has written, in this thoroughly entertaining novel, is a pointed and persuasive social critique, teasing out the myriad forms of privilege and predation that stand between so many people and their achievement of the American dream. But there is a heartening optimism, too. This is a book that believes in the transformative powers of art and genuine kindness--and in the promise of new growth, even after devastation, even after everything has turned to ash." --Boston Globe "If we know this story, we haven't seen it yet in American fiction, not until now . . . This is, in the end, a novel about the burden of being the first of your kind--a burden you do not always survive." --Alexander Chee, The New York Times Book Review "Tender and merciless all at once . . . Vital in all the essential ways." --Jesmyn Ward, author of Sing, Unburied, Sing
