Our Missing Hearts

Wow! One of my favorite books of the year.

Beautifully written, character-driven book.

Book bans. Racism, xenophobia, misogyny. Strong, violent, omnipresent police. Lapel flags and loyalty tests. The world of this book is a r*p*bl*c*n’s wet dream. The kind we might see if you don’t vote.

The first half of the book, Part I, was a bit of a slog. A too-heavy mix of Orwell and Havel, each extreme almost cartoonish in their cruelty and heroism respectively. I almost DNF'ed... but kept going and am really glad I did: parts II and III are where Ng gets her voice. Beautiful language, captivating story, and serious heart.

VOTE.

i think the real-world issues and conflicts in Celeste Ng's books are always interesting, but the characters and dystopian world building felt a little lacking and underdeveloped in this one

FR/EN review
Celeste Ng's “Nos Cœurs Disparus” est un récit envoûtant qui navigue habilement dans les complexités de la perte, de la rédemption et de la quête d'appartenance. En tant qu'étranger vivant aux États-Unis, j'ai été profondément touchée par l'exploration poignante de Ng sur le déplacement et l'altérité, rappelant le chef-d'œuvre de Margaret Atwood, “La Servante écarlate.” À travers des personnages richement dessinés et un récit méticuleusement élaboré, Ng invite les lecteurs à confronter les préjugés subtils et les micro-agressions auxquels sont confrontés les étrangers, tout en célébrant la résilience de l'esprit humain face à l'adversité.

La prose de Ng est à la fois évocatrice et d'une beauté poignante, capturant l'essence de la vie en province avec une authenticité qui résonne longtemps après la dernière page tournée. “Nos Cœurs Disparus” est plus qu'un simple roman ; c'est une méditation profonde sur le pouvoir de l'empathie et la quête universelle de connexion dans un monde qui semble souvent bien trop réel.


Celeste Ng's “Our Missing Hearts” is a spellbinding tale that skillfully navigates the complexities of loss, redemption, and the quest for belonging. As a foreigner living in the United States, I found myself deeply moved by Ng's poignant exploration of displacement and otherness, reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's haunting masterpiece, “The Handmaid's Tale.” Through richly drawn characters and a meticulously crafted narrative, Ng invites readers to confront the subtle prejudices and microaggressions faced by outsiders, while also celebrating the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Ng's prose is both evocative and achingly beautiful, capturing the essence of small-town life with an authenticity that resonates long after the final page is turned. “Our Missing Hearts” is more than just a novel; it's a profound meditation on the power of empathy and the universal quest for connection in a world that often feels all too real.

Overall I liked what the author was trying to do in highlighting important issues that either are a problem or could become a bigger problem in our society. The book is definitely better than average in that regard. However as a whole the characters, plot, and way the story was told did not feel spectacular.

It was however a very believable dystopian novel and those dystopian aspects of the book are very good but the actual book as a whole for me was not as strong.

4.5 stars rounded down.

Beautiful writing and sobering story. It is a new twist on a dystopian future previously discussed in other literature. Apart from its flowery prose it does not stand out to me.

I didn't realize that this was a dystopian book until my mom mentioned that Celeste Ng's latest book was “weird” compared to her previous books, and then I checked it out on my mom's urging. I might not have otherwise picked it up because I tend to get bummed out by dystopian books but my mom really wanted to talk about it. Anyway it did bum me out because it is sooo plausible and I hate to think of it. But it is gorgeously written and very powerful. Will stick with me for a long time.

I expected character-driven literary fiction (like her other books), but instead got a run-of-the-mill YA dystopia with a bland society and plot. The first part, from the point of view of Bird, was at least somewhat interesting because there was a bit of mystery of what happened to his mother. Once we find out that actually nothing really exciting happened, and have to listen to her life story it somehow gets even worse. I don't see much reason to prefer this over any other YA dystopia novel. It makes me sad since I absolutely loved Little Fires Everywhere.

Beautifully written and an important warning. I love this author and her work.

The lack of quotation marks was odd and tripped me up a little, and the 3rd person voice did make it difficult to fully connect with and know the characters, but it wouldn't keep me from recommending it to others.

Neat family dynamic premise with fairly shallow character development and superficial dystopia.

This is a modern day fairytale that sees biracial 12 year old Noah Gardener receive a letter with nothing inside but a single sheet of paper covered edge to edge in drawings of cats. It's addressed to Bird, a name he hasn't used in years. It's the first in a string of clues that will set him on the path to his mother who disappeared over 3 years ago. He'll be helped in no small part by a network of librarians as he navigates unfamiliar territory. Total bookish catnip.

His hero's journey is set in a near future where a nation reeling from an economic meltdown enacts something called PACT. Preserving American Culture and Traditions ensures God-fearing Americans are protected from subversive forces seeking to sow dissent and outrage. It can quickly remove children from harmful, unAmerican environments and “re-place” them with distant foster families. Turns out these “re-placements” tend to target People of Asian Origins (PAOs or Kung-PAOs as they are often referred - because of course) The thing is, this post-Crisis world is prey to rampant Sinophobia as China is blamed for manipulating markets, imposing tariffs and otherwise trying to bring a once powerful nation to its knees.

So another unevenly distributed dystopia set seconds into the future. A small minority vilified and targeted so that the rest of the nation can blithely go about their day to day. It happens all the time, but the beautiful thing about this book is how it shows that even within a long established, seemingly implacable system, the actions of a single individual can have impact.

Celeste Ng has been consistently good but this is easily my favorite of her books.

I don't know where to start. I resisted this book, but when it was due to be returned to the library I reluctantly picked it up and began to read. Like The Handmaid's Tale, it tells a story that is all too close to what we are experiencing in real life in terms of fear of the “other” and clever twisting of words and justifying evil by asserting it as necessary for our safety and looking the other way as it happens to others, keeping our heads down and hoping by doing the right things all will be OK with us. This book is scary, moving, emotional, and necessary. I cried multiple times towards the end. I will long hold it in my heart. I recommend you take the time to read it, too. And then all off us should not only be aware of these stories but also act and speak out and ensure that we stop fearing those who are not like us and instead look for the common humanity we all share.

I was so excited when I saw a new book from this author. I absolutely LOVED the other two I've read by her. Our Missing Hearts, sadly, was a disappointment.

This one still has the author's beautiful writing and easy style BUT this is marketed completely wrong. This is not Sci-Fi and is only mildly dystopian. It's more so a political fiction drama that is slow and lacks depth.

I tried hard to love this one but it just didn't work for me. I loved the concept but felt so much was lacking with the story and the characters overall.

What a beautiful story of love earned and love lost, of a war waged in silence and in public, of a mother and how dangerous she becomes when her child is in danger. Incredible. I cried and cried and cried, a statue standing alone in the street.

I was immensely looking forward to reading [a:Celeste Ng 164692 Celeste Ng https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1663691487p2/164692.jpg]'s new novel “[b:Our Missing Hearts 60149573 Our Missing Hearts Celeste Ng https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664802258l/60149573.SY75.jpg 94900794]”. I really enjoyed both Ng's “[b:Everything I Never Told You 18693763 Everything I Never Told You Celeste Ng https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386795198l/18693763.SY75.jpg 26542311]” and “[b:Little Fires Everywhere 34273236 Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522684533l/34273236.SY75.jpg 94930152]” for their highly interesting stories, the unusual style of Ng's storytelling and her sheer eloquence.Sadly, I found none of this in “Our Missing Hearts”: Bird, the boy we're immediately introduced to and who dominates the first half of the book, remains bland and indistinct. Beyond general empathy for him having lost his mother and living under difficult circumstances with his father, I never really felt for him or got emotionally engaged.For a dystopia, there's also nothing new or special in this novel: Hatred against what seems to be “foreign”, xenophobia. Books aren't burned in this society but removed and made into pulp. Children are taken from their parents if the latter don't intend to raise them by the doctrines of the regime. There's nothing new here and no original thought seems to have occurred to Ng. She also abandoned her unique onion-like narrative style and her prose is just adequate but absolutely nothing special anymore.I'm giving up on this book while being around half-way through because going on feels like a waste of precious reading time. Even more so since trusted “book friends” tell me it's getting even worse later on.I hope Celeste Ng finds her way back to the heights of her earlier works.A very sad and disappointed one star out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Amerikkalainen Celeste Ng tuli suomalaisille lukijoille tutuksi toisella romaanillaan Tulenarkoja asioita, jonka Gummerus julkaisi suomeksi 2019. Reese Witherspoonin suosioon päässyt romaani on Ngin suosituin teos tähän asti. Seuraavana vuonna suomeksi saatiin Ngin esikoisteos Olisi jotain kerrottavaa vuodelta 2014. Nyt Ng on tehnyt uuden romaanin, joka ilmestyy heti tuoreeltaan suomeksi. Suomentaja on vaihtunut: aikaisemmat romaanit suomentaneen Sari Karhulahden sijasta tämän on suomentanut Taina Helkamo.    Kadonneet sydämemme on hienovarainen dystopiaromaani, joka kertoo kepeästi vaihtoehtoisesta todellisuudesta. Siinä Yhdysvallat on käynyt läpi vakavan taloudellisen kriisin, jonka syypääksi todettiin Kiina. Kriisin jälkeen maassa on runnottu läpi PACT-laki, joka suojelee ”amerikkalaista kulttuuria ja perinteitä”. Suosi amerikkalaista ja ennen muuta epäile kaikkea, mikä vaikuttaa vähänkään kiinalaiselta. Laki on johtanut muun muassa laajamittaiseen kirjojen sensurointiin ja opetuksen ideologisoitumiseen. Ilkeimmillään se tarkoittaa lasten käyttämistä kulttuurisodan välineinä: epäilyttäviltä aasialaistaustaisilta perheiltä otetaan lapset pois, sijoitettavaksi jonnekin järjestelmän syövereihin.    Kirjan päähenkilönä on Bird, nuori poika, joka asuu isänsä kanssa. Hänen äitinsä on kadonnut, tai oikeastaan pyyhitty kokonaan perheestä pois. Äiti on epäilyttävä kiinalaisamerikkalainen runoilija, joka muun perheen on ollut pakko kieltää täysin selviytyäkseen vainolta. Sittenkin Birdin puoliksi kiinalaiset piirteet aiheuttavat ongelmia ja häneltä vaaditaan aivan erityistä kuuliaisuutta PACTia kohtaan.    Eräänä päivänä Bird saa postia. Hän tunnistaa lähettäjän heti äidikseen: kirje on osoitettu Birdille, eikä kukaan muu käytä sitä nimeä enää. Kirjeessä on vain piirustus: paperiarkki täynnä pieniä kissoja. Mitä äiti haluaa sillä sanoa? Lopulta kirjeen salaisuus selviää Birdille ja hän päättää lähteä selvittämään, minne äiti on kadonnut, miksei hänestä ole kuulunut mitään ja miksi äidin runokokoelmasta lainattu lause on päätynyt PACTin vastaisen protestoinnin iskulauseeksi.    Kadonneet sydämemme on kiehtova kirja, joka käsittelee mielenkiintoisia teemoja. Ajankohtaiselta tuntuu kirjan tapa kuvata näennäisesti myönteisten asioiden kautta järjestelmään hiipivää fasismia. Kukapa ei kannattaisi amerikkalaisen kulttuurin suojelemista! Lasten edusta nyt puhumattakaan. Jos kyseenalaistaa, onko lasten vieminen vanhemmiltaan lasten edun mukaisesti, saa pian huomata olevansa itse seuraavana listalla. Tällainen vaivihkainen sorto- ja hiljennysmekanismi ei ole mitenkään kaukaista kuvitelmaa.    Lasten käyttäminen aseena on sekin tuttua tosimaailmasta. Ei tarvitse katsoa Suomea kauemmas: se miten saamelaisten lapsia vietiin vanhemmiltaan koulutuksen nimissä ei ole kovin kaukana siitä, mitä Ng kirjassa kuvaa. Ngin lähimpänä pontimena on ollut Yhdysvalloissa vuonna 2018 alkanut käytäntö erottaa paperittomien maahanmuuttajien lapset ja vanhemmat toisistaan. Yksi kirjan hahmoista on nimetty maahanmuuttajaperheiden hyväksi lahjoituksen tehneen henkilön mukaan.    Näiden synkkien aiheiden lisäksi kirja käsittelee paljon sanoja ja kieltä. Birdin äiti on runoilija ja isä kielitieteilijä. Kirjassa pohdiskellaan etymologioita, sanojen merkityksiä, sanojen voimaa. Kirjastonhoitajat näyttäytyvät kirjassa sankareina ja kirjojen, lukemisen ja tarinoiden kertomisen merkitystä korostetaan. Kun tarinaa kertoo tarpeeksi usein, sen kuulee moni ja monista tarinan kuulevista joku aina kertoo sen eteenpäin, jolloin tarina alkaa elää ja voi osaltaan olla muutoksen siemen. Se on lohdullinen viesti. Ei tässä kirjassa PACTia ja sortovaltaa noin vain kaadeta, mutta kirja näyttää esimerkkiä tavoista, joilla yksittäiset ihmiset voivat tehdä vastarintaa alistavaa järjestelmää kohtaan.    Kadonneet sydämemme on taitavasti kirjoitettu kirja. Celeste Ng kirjoittaa hyvin; hän on ajassa kiinni, tuo kiinalaisamerikkalaista näkökulmaa asioihin ja on tarinoiden ja pienten ihmisten puolella.