Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in Harvard’s library. Like her previous novel, Our Missing Hearts takes up the cause of the outsider pitted against a system and society in which injustice is the norm, even if unacknowledged. As only she can, Celeste has crafted an unforgettable and shattering commentary on this moment.” I love that this cover conveys simultaneously both that darkness and a call to move toward the light. Our Missing Hearts is a timeless depiction of motherhood and of adolescence, but Celeste has set this stunning portrait of a family in the midst of a society that has been consumed by racism, by authoritarianism, and by fear. Smith Younce told us: “It is an honor to be publishing Celeste’s brilliant third novel. It’s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and the power of art to create change.The book-Ng's third-was acquired by Penguin Press executive editor Ginny Smith Younce from agent Julie Barer at The Book Group. Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. 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.

Then one day, Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, and soon he is pulled into a quest to find her.

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. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. 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) “Riveting, tender, and timely.” -People, Book of the Week “It’s impossible not to be moved.” -Stephen King, The New York Times Book Review Named a Best Book of 2022 by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Daily, and more įrom the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, comes the inspiring new novel about a mother’s unbreakable love.

Our missing hearts book