Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Our Missing Hearts
by Celeste Ng
Literary | Fiction
335 Pages
Released October 2022
Rating: ★★★★ 1/4
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Content Warnings
I had a hard time initially getting into this book but once I did, I ended up really enjoying it.
This book follows Bird after the disappearance of his mother - a poet thrust into a controversial spotlight when one of her poems becomes the mantra for a socio-politcal movement. With international tensions high, especially between China, this book imagines an America that emphasizes devout nationalism - a concept that is quickly abused to control minorities - particular those of Asian descent. One day, Bird receives a postcard that can only be from his mother, and thus begins a quest to find her and learn why she left him behind.
This was my first Celeste Ng novel, and I really loved the depth of her characters. A lot of my initial impressions of characters were slowly altered as the novel progressed, which really showed their depth and how well thought out they were. This book definitely feels like more of a character-forward novel, vice a action-packed one - though the pace does pick up toward the end.
This book also carries quite some discomfort because, although it takes place in an alternate America, some of the situations were reminiscent of current events. It was a stark reminder that even in a country build on the foundations of freedom, fear and judgement (racism in particular) can quickly lead us on a destructive path - that those fears can easily be manipulated into something sinister. Despite the dark themes, I loved how Ng wove in threads of hope - that there were still those willing to fight against fear mongering.
While I didn’t find myself fully enthralled with this novel, it was an eye-opening and enjoyable read. I do recommend picking this one up, especially if you like character driven novels and enjoyed R.F. Kuang’s Babel.