Our missing hearts : a novel
Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in Harvard University's library. Bird knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or 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 relocate 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 Chinese 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 back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.
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- ISBN: 9780735245341
- Physical Description 335 pages ; 24 cm.
- Publisher [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2022.
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Our Missing Hearts : A Novel
An instant national bestseller * A Reese's Book Club Pick * An instant New York Times bestseller * A New York Times Notable Book of 2022 * A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2022 * Named a Best Book of 2022 by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today , NPR, Los Angeles Times , and Oprah Daily, and more Longlisted for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award From the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere , comes the inspiring new novel about a mother's unshakeable love. "It's impossible not to be moved." --Stephen King, The New York Times Book Review "Riveting, tender, and timely." -- People, Book of the Week "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 (Reese's Book Club Pick) Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. He doesn't know what happened to her--only that her books have been banned--and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him. Then one day, Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, and soon he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of heroic librarians, and finally to New York City, where he will finally learn the truth about what happened to his mother, and what the future holds for them both. Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It's about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and the power of art to create change.
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