Our Missing Hearts

In the first chapters of Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng sets up a tense, dystopian setting. She slowly unravels the layers of this dystopia, developing an air of mystery. For example, references to PACT imply that it is an all-powerful, authoritarian law. But what this law actually entails is not yet revealed. Ng makes it clear that other American codes of law, such as the Bill of Rights, have not been abolished. This presents a farce in which Americans believe they embody justice, while living in an oppressive society. PACT is clearly a reaction to something, presumably a conflict with China—but by withholding the impetus, Ng challenges readers to speculate.

There are many elements of dystopian literature used to present a version of the United States that is obsessed with controlling its people. Books haven’t been burned, but they have been discarded and recycled as elements of suspicion. In Ng’s dystopian world, books exist in libraries that are rarely visited; nobody wants to be seen reading books. Books can be influential, being full of ideas that are difficult to control. Thus, Ng uses a book to challenge the notion of books being dangerous. Book-banning is a historical and contemporary practice, making Ng’s novel an exploration of contemporary issues surrounding which books are banned from schools and why. Children are encouraged to use the internet instead of books for research because the former can be easily controlled and monitored. Another dystopian element is the forced separation of families due to ideological and political differences. Sadie is taken from her parents because her mother (ironically) reported on forced separation. This reveals that any criticism of the government’s tactics is met with oppressive measures. Sadie yearns for her parents and her commitment to speaking truth highlights her intelligence, her loyalty to her family, and the psychological toll that forced separation has on children.

Family is at the heart of this novel because Bird also struggles to understand his family’s separation. His mother left, and he and his father have been left with a radically different life. As a child, Bird cannot understand what happened, only that his mother is no longer around, and his father’s life has become smaller. Bird doesn’t express anger or resentment about his mother. Instead, he picks up on the way the adults in his life refer to her, as though she shouldn’t be named or remembered. Bird’s mother is a poet who practices activism in hiding. As an Asian American woman who is vocally anti-PACT, any association with her implies the same attitude toward PACT. Because PACT has become synonymous with the United States, such attitudes are used as evidence of being a traitor. However, it would be difficult for someone as young as Bird to understand his mother in this context. Still, he searches for answers, with his mother’s note revealing important details. The first detail is that Margaret uses Bird’s chosen name (Bird) instead of his given name (Noah). Considering no one else calls Noah “Bird” anymore, his mother reveals that she still cares about how he wants to define himself. This independence is sorely lacking in Bird’s new life. Margaret also uses imagery from a children’s story she used to read to Bird, highlighting the connective, transformative power of storytelling. The note foreshadows a potential reunion and reveals that though Margaret left her family to fight PACT, she has not forgotten her son. Despite Bird’s closeness with his father, it cannot replace his relationship with his mother.

Bird’s innocence is crucial to the moral of the novel. Ng utilizes a child as her protagonist because children are both malleable and intuitive. Though Bird follows most rules, he can sense when something is amiss. He doesn’t believe the rumors about his mother, because his intuitive love for her surpasses the influence of society. Furthermore, a child is an ideal protagonist because Bird can’t quite remember what his life was like before PACT. He has some memories of books and his mother, but not enough for him to struggle with society’s transition. Bird’s father experienced a lifetime of freedom before the introduction of PACT, so his stressors speak to the toll of the transition. Bird doesn’t experience his own stress as much as he internalizes that of his father. Bird’s perspective also allows Ng to present revelations, as he starts to understand more truths about the world. For example, when Bird realizes that his father is overprotective of him because Bird is Asian American, readers realize this as well (as the world is still largely unknown at this point of the story). Bird was previously unaware of society’s suspicions based on looks alone—but discovering this truth strengthens his character. Once Bird learns he is assumed an enemy for racist reasons, he reevaluates his trust in society and PACT. Moving forward, he has two options: Fight PACT like his mother, or keep his head down while living in constant danger. Unlike white children, Bird will never be able to live comfortably in a society that enforces PACT.

Racism is another important element in this story. Many dystopian works include a scapegoat because democratic societies often become totalitarian and oppressive when the majority of citizens are convinced an enemy walks among them. Because Asian Americans are a minority in the United States (which has a long history of xenophobia and racism against Asians), Ng’s dystopian world finds it all too easy to frame them as a scapegoat. Tribalism is at its worst when fueled by government conspiracies and scapegoating. Our Missing Hearts, published in 2022, responds to the rise of anti-Asian hate in the United States following the COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in China. The novel’s anti-Asian sentiments warn against the same happening in contemporary society. Bird is called a racial slur by a stranger, and Asian American families donate large sums of money to their public spaces to win favor and avoid suspicion. The society-wide belief that Asian Americans are not to be trusted echoes the incarceration of Japanese Americans in prison camps during World War II, because of the misguided assumption that Japanese Americans would side with Japan. This parallel is purposeful, as Ng frames America as repeating shameful parts of its history.