An instant
New York Times
bestseller • A
Notable Book • Named a Best Book of 2022 by
People,
TIME Magazine,
The Washington Post, USA Today
, NPR,
Los Angeles Times
, and
Oprah Daily,
and more • A Reese's Book Club Pick •
Paperback Row Selection
From the #1 bestselling author of
Little Fires Everywhere
, comes the inspiring new novel about a mother’s unshakeable love.
“Riveting, tender, and timely.” —
Book of the Week
"Remarkable . . . An unflinching yet life-affirming drama about the power of art and love to push back in dangerous times." —
Oprah Daily
“Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching . . . I was so invested in the future of this mother and son.” —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 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.