From the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere,a deeply heartwrenching novel about the unbreakable love between a mother and child in a society consumed by fear.
Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet and circumspect existence with his loving but broken father,a talented linguist now relegated to shelving books in a library. Bird knows not to ask too many questions,stand out too much,stray too far. For a decade,their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve'American culture'in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity,the authorities are now allowed to re-locate children of dissidents,especially those of Asian origin,and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic - including the work of Bird's mother,Margaret,a C hinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old.
Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn't know her work or what happened to her,and he knows he shouldn't wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing,he is drawn into a quest to find her. His journey will take him through the many folktales she poured into his head as a child,into an underground resistance network of librarians,into the lives of the many children who have been taken,and finally to New York,where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much needed change.
Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new,of the ways supposedly civilized communities can turn a blind eye to the most searing injustice. It's a story about the power - and limitations - of art to create change in the world,what being a good parent really means,and how any of us can retain our humanity in a society where fear dominates.
Publisher: Little,Brown Book GroupISBN: 9780349145167Number of pages: 352Weight: 280 gDimensions: 196 x 126 x 32 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'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
'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
'(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 stunning story of injustice and resistance... lyrical,intricate,unsparing: this novel will break your heart and fire up your courage'- Mail on Sunday
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