American author Celeste Ng hit the big time with 2017’s Little Fires Everywhere, a small-town family drama that had long been book club catnip by the time it became a hit TV show starring Reese Witherspoon.
Her new novel, Our Missing Hearts – her first since that stellar success – has been conceived on an altogether grander scale.
Its near-future America has a repressive regime reliant on anti-sedition laws that persecute Asian Americans, scapegoated as the cause of recent social unrest caused by economic turmoil.
At the heart of the story is Bird, a 12-year-old mixed-race boy whose father teaches him to keep shtum about his missing Chinese American mother, a poet who became a totem for protesters.
They don’t want attention from authorities that remove children from parents suspected of dissent – the fate of his best friend, Sadie.
But the arrival of a mysterious letter means Bird can’t help plunging into a dangerous quest to find his mother, during which he discovers an underground resistance movement led by librarians.
Ng can’t quite sidestep the narrative pitfalls of her enterprise, telling us too much about some aspects of the plot and not enough about others while leaning heavily on moments of crowbarred exposition.
But never mind – the story’s excitement means you’re quite ready to roll with the odd clunky moment.
What jars more is the use to which Ng puts an intricate set-up drawn on present-day tensions.
The cloying gist of the plot is that you and I are among the good guys simply by dint of being readers – an unconvincingly sunny payoff to a book that opens in a mood of authentic Orwellian chill.
The Verdict: An engrossing dystopia that ends up a touch too cosy
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
MORE : Be still our beating hearts! Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher unveil rom-com Your Place Or Mine
MORE : The best autumn reads for you to cosy up with this fall
For all the latest Lifestyle News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
