I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Our Missing Hearts is a powerful novel. Ng writes of an alternate dystopian present, where the Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act (PACT) is law and license to snoop on and report your neighbors in the name of patriotism and to remove children from parents who are accused of sedition. Books are censored, removed from libraries and stores. They are not burned, they are pulped into toilet paper. All so that Americans don't hear or read something viewed as anti-American.

Asian Americans (called Kung-PAOs in the book) are viewed as the reason for the country's crisis period, which led to the passage of PACT, and are abused, verbally and physically. The main character, Bird, is half Chinese. His mom fled their home years ago, and he's being raised by his father. When he receives a letter in the mail that he believes is from his mother, he sets out on a journey to find her.

This book is equal parts amazing and terrifying. I've never read a dystopian novel that hits so close to home.

This is not your typical Celeste Ng novel. Our Missing Hearts takes us into a rather bleak dystopian future where PACT is the law, Protect American Culture, a law that allows the government to remove children from homes of people it deems unsavory to American ideals.

We meet Bird, a young son of a Chinese American woman (Margaret) and a White father who had been a university professor (Ethan). Margaret wants to stay under the radar and just raise her son but a poem she wrote years ago becomes an anthem for those apposed to PACT. Rather than have her son taken from them and raised by others she choses to leave her husband and son so at least Bird has his father.

The story of love and family is very sad and not just a little scary in these times of blaming "the Other". It is understandable why Ng would be drawn to write about how easy it was make laws when people are scared.

Bird's quest to know and understand is mother takes us to the underground side of NY and dissidents. He is a very determined young boy who proves how resourceful youth can be.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Celeste Ng writes a powerful, near future dystopian novel about our surveillance state and rigid nationalism. Rooted strongly in our past and current events, it can feel all too believable in a quite compelling way. The prose is beautiful, descriptive without moving too slowly, and the characters are richly written and you can feel their fear, heartbreak, and hope. I definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

Our Missing Hearts is an impactful and timely novel. Ng ties together current issues of racism and censorship with historical travesties of re-homing children in this entirely too realistic novel. The novel begins with Bird talking about the disappearance of his mother and how it relates to all of the government and social changes that have occurred since the Crisis. Then it explores how quickly people create an us vs. them mentality and the explicit racism and censorship that occurs. At times hard to read, due to how prescient the actions in the world she creates, but told in her usual lyrical style. Even now with the increase of book-banning, this novel will resonate with many.

Dark and fascinating and full of all the feels that thinking about family brings up. Dystopian and like many dystopian novels lately-feels all too real.

Such a powerful book. I really appreciate that it starts from the perspective of a child and he slowly starts to question things and we find out from the adults around him what's actually going on. I think watching these things happen through the eyes of a child hits so much deeper.

As a steadfast fan of Celeste Ng since I read an advance reader copy of All the Things I Never Told You, it would be impossible to pick a favorite. Her books are all different, employing lyrical prose to illuminate the strength of love and the power of language, both spoken and silent. This timely novel speaks to the need for caution when faced with loud voices blaming “them” for problems. I loved every word. Thank you to Net Galley.

Literary star Celeste Ng’s third novel advances a once unthinkable proposition: Americans wracked by insecurity embrace authoritarian solutions. In a time not far in the future, in the wake of economic and political meltdown, discrimination, censorship, and fear run rampant
under the guise of “peace-keeping.” As challenging books slip from the shelves, and dissidents disappear from their families, a twelve-year-old boy searches for his missing mother, an artist who might hold the key to a better future. With a chilling premise and frequently stunning
prose, this dystopian drama is a jolt to the system and a booster of hope.

Celeste Ng’s Missing hearts is impressive but heartbreaking story about dystopian near future.

Twelve-year-old Bird is half-Chinese and lives in a world where everything bad is considered to be of Chinese or Asian origin. Bird’s American-Chinese mother has left the family for their protection, and Bird’s father is trying to keep their son safe. As Bird get older he starts to be more aware what is happening around him: racism, disappearing children, fear, protests.

Bird thinks he has a way to find his missing mother, and he sets on a journey to find her. Along the way Bird learns more about the world he lives in and what’s his mother’s role in the protests against the rulers.

The world Ng describes in this book is, unfortunately, all too easy to imagine.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for a chance to review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher Penguin Press, and author Celeste Ng for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Our Missing Hearts because I am such a fan of Ng's writing. She has a way of telling complex and complicated stories featuring complex and complicated characters in a way that is just so absolutely lovely. Her newest work is no exception, and this will be a book that sticks with me for a long time to come. What makes Our Missing Hearts so impactful is the very realistic near-future setting. There are so many eerie similarities between what is happening in this book and what is happening in real life that it sometimes reads more like non-fiction. I could easily see PACT happening very soon, and we already see so many instances of anti-Asian discrimination and that removal of children. Although the setting of the book is unsettling, the book itself is not (although it is heartbreaking at times), due in large part to the lovely character of Bird Gardner. Telling such a story through the eyes of a child who has only ever known this world made the events even more impactful to me as a reader. Bird is a character that I just wanted to give the biggest hug to while also supporting and cheering him on every step of the way. I appreciated the world building and how in part two, we got to see events unfold from the perspective of Bird's mother, Margaret, a poet whose words sparked the revolution currently occurring within the novel. There is lots of depth and character building/growth throughout, which is my favorite part of any novel. While the story is a bit predictable at times, I found myself wanting to stay in the world with Bird and his family regardless and for even longer. Celeste Ng is truly one of the most outstanding authors of our time, and I believe this book will have great impact for many years to come.

Celeste NG has done it again! I absolutely loved “Little Fires Everywhere”, and “ Everything I Never Told You”.

At first I was a little iffy on it. Growing up in a PACT house and marrying someone who came here as a child I really didn’t want to read it once I started it. But, Bird and Margaret’s story is captivating and heart breaking. Celeste wrecked me with this one. You get a look into lives of a family
Affected by PACT. I believe we can all take a lesson from this story.

This is a story of power, our differences in cultures, motherhood, love, and a passion to create change and leave a beautiful legacy for our families!

Bird Gardner is a mixed-race child - his mother, the poet Margaret Miu, is a PAO, a person of Asian origin. Three years earlier, she vanished one day, her disappearance devastating the family. Bird's father gave up his position as a linguistics professor and now shelves books at the university library, and he and Bird live in one of the dormitories. One day, Bird receives a communication that can only have come from his mother. He sets out to find her and ask her why she left them. Set in the near future in post-crisis world where Asians are viewed with hatred and suspicion for causing all of the problems afflicting the U.S., this is an old story that could easily happen again. There are themes of racism/racial purity, cultural homogeneity, fear and suspicion. But there is also bravery, especially on the part of librarians willing to take risks to spread information (as we have always done). You'll think about it for a long time after you finish it. Really cool cover art. Recommended.

In “Our Missing Hearts,” Celeste Ng’s latest release, the bestselling author of 2014’s “Everything I Never Told You” and 2017’s “Little Fires Everywhere” spins a chilling commentary on a potential America of tomorrow, one filled with hate, injustice and discrimination. Here, the U.S. government views Asian Americans with suspicion and animosity. Years after his mother disappeared, the novel’s mixed-race protagonist, Bird, learns that a poem his mother wrote sparked protests against the Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act, which is behind the government’s oppression of foreign cultural influence. This vaults Bird into a journey into the past and a quest for truth and morality. As beautiful as it is disturbing, Ng wrestles with the urgent questions of our time and asks, can we actually make a difference? How can we teach our children to make the world better and keep a sense of shared humanity alive, when we ourselves have failed to do so?

How incredibly mind blowing and through provoking this book was. While this book can be considered dystopian, it is scary how much it parallels our country and its potential to alienate minorities.

Bird Gardner is a nine year old boy with a Chinese mother and white father when the Crisis begins. I period of time where America is trying to suppress Asian influence on its culture and economy. One day, Bird's mother disappears and he slowly realizes that members of other families are disappearing too, particularly, children. Bird and his father try to keep a low profile after his mother goes missing so that he is not taken too. As Bird grows older, he begins to realize that his mother was not taken--she left on her own and he has found a clue as to her whereabouts.

Bird unfolds the story of where his mother has gone and begins to understand the depth of hate and political rhetoric in this heart breaking and beautifully written novel.

Thank you to Penguin Group for the eARC of this novel!

I had really enjoyed Celeste Ng’s two previous novels and was so excited to see she had another book coming out. I was doubly excited when I was approved for the eARC of it.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from Our Missing Hearts, but I definitely got something different, though this is not meant in a bad way whatsoever. OMH is much bleaker and heavier than Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You, though it is just as strong as they are in getting their themes across. I appreciated the way OMH didn’t shy away from using all-too-familiar patterns and ways of thinking in creating the dystopian near-future in this book. It definitely felt very close to home and very much “ripped from the headlines.”

I think this is good, though, and Ng did it so well. Sometimes fictionalizing current events helps make them seem a little clearer and brings them into sharper contrast. It was hard to read at times, but given the subject matter that is only to be expected and is also entirely the point.

I appreciated that Ng brought intersectionality into the issues she was describing - namely drawing the connection between residential schools and the PACT re-homings. I think it’s really important when discussing these “what ifs” to acknowledge that for some these “what ifs” are actual reality. Not every author would have done that, and Ng did it with great care.

The only reason I rate this four instead of five stars is because I found myself getting lost in the dialogue format, and at times the characters didn’t feel as fleshed out as I would have liked. This book is very much driven by theme rather than plot or characterization. It worked, but is not exactly my cup of tea.

Our Missing Hearts is a heavy, timely, sometimes bleak and sometimes hopeful read. It has the same craft and care I’ve come to expect in a Celeste Ng book and look forward to seeing the conversations this book will hopefully sprout. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary fiction.

Although this was a dystopian tale, it’ could easily be the state of the world as it is right now. The awfulness of children being removed from a loving home simply because the parents aren’t toeing the State lines. Chilling.
Ng’s writing is sharp and poignant and she does a great job with her young main character.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

A boys quest to find his mother takes us through a future dystopian world of fear and love, distrust and faith, oppression and freedom.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! Celeste Ng is a master of writing and storytelling, and though a hard read, Our Missing Hearst is a beautiful, heartbreaking, thoughtful novel. Bird is a child living in a dystopian world with his dad in Boston, where the United States is “exiting” a financial crisis. Due to this financial collapse, America blamed foreign powers, and created laws that discriminate against Asian Americans and take dissenters children from their families. Bird’s poet mother disappears amongst this backdrop, and he takes a journey of discovery to uncover the truth. This book is hard and beautiful at the same time, and I believe it is an important read at this poignant and unsettling time in American history. It’s not lighthearted, but it shouldn’t be; these are themes that we should confront, and Ng is such a great writer and storyteller, I could not imagine a better voice to tackle these themes through fiction. Though this book is about a lot of things (America, discrimination, dissent, protest) it’s at its core about the complicated love that parents feel for their children and the horror of power structures stealing children from the safety of their families. Overall, I highly recommend for fans of beautifully written literary fiction, Ng’s other works, and dystopian novels.

Chilling. Absolutely chilling. While this book seems to be an alternate timeline, the possibility is all too real. We have seen over and over again how mob mentality gangs up against a "common enemy" which is often just someone different than them. In this story, the US blames China for all of its economic woes and stifles all protests. Those of Asian descent are suspect no matter where they are from or how long they have been in the United States. The punishment for speaking out is separating children from parents with subversive ideas. Read this book and make sure this isn't our future, although sadly, it has been our past on multiple occasions.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Penguin Press. My opinion is my own.

This all seems far too true.

A difficult read, but an important one. Lest we forget #stopAsianHate as a hashtag, Celeste Ng brings the idea back in a new and whole way.

What does it mean to be a family? What choices do we make for our children, and what does it mean to "make a mark" and change history?

Powerful.