Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Set in a future America, Celeste Ng's latest novel, Our Missing Hearts is disturbing, heartwarming, and realistically reflective of a time with which we can identify. Often described as a dystopian piece of literature, it is not as unbelievable at its publication date as The Handmaid's Tale or Fahrenheit 451 were. Instead, what occurs in the book is already happening in the United States.

Noah (Bird) Gardner, a 12 year-old mixed ethnic child,  lives with his father, Ethan, in Cambridge, MA. Ethan was a former professor who has now turned a library worker as to not draw attention to his home and his son. The library shelves are virtually empty because many of the books are considered dangerous to society. The books haven't been burned, but rather pulped and turned into toilet paper. Noah is befriended by librarians throughout the novel as they attempt to circumvent the ramifications of PACT. He questions why he witnesses Chinese people being accosted and abused.

 Noah's mother Margaret, a Chinese American has left the household because she published an innocent poem that became a rallying point for those who were opposing PACT - Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act that was set into place to guard against the influence of the Chinese. The act was put into place as a result of the Crisis that was describe in the novel:

"Some would blame speculation, or inflation, or a lack of consumer confidence—though what might have caused those would never be clear. In time, many would dredge up old lists of rivalries, searching for someone to blame; they would settle, in a few years, on China, that perilous perpetual yellow menace."

Noah becomes friends with a school friend, Sadie, whose has been taken from her family and been placed in a foster home. Under PACT if a parent is deemed to be subversive, a child can be removed to protect him or her from parental influence. She is determined to leave her foster parents to find her real parents. After Noah finds a note that he believes is from his mother, he leaves Cambridge for New York City on the same quest. He finds Domi, the Duchess, a friend of his mother and she becomes important in his journey. 

Margaret is not a person who stands by and accepts the government's position. Living under the radar she has a plan that will, hopefully, cause people to see how wrong PACT is. Her words will illuminate the lives of those who are so wounded. Stories need to be told. 

What resonates to the reader is the reality that many of the actions in the book. The Florida Parental Rights Act, a bill promoted and signed by Governor DeSantis in Florida is blatant censorship of texts and curriculum. After the pandemic, the hate crimes against Asians increased nearly 300% over the previous years. Much of that can be attributed to the president at the time referring to COVID-19 as the China flu. 

Our Missing Hearts is a powerful book, one that should be acknowledged as a cry to take heed of how our democracy is being threatened. It should be on everyone's To Be Read Shelf!

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

There are some books that beg to be reread and The Fraud by Zadie Smith is one of those books. Based on historical events surrounding the Tichborne trial of 1873, the novel is meticulously researched and craftily written.  Eliza Touchet is one of the central figures of the story and is a cousin of William Ainsworth, a nearly obscure writer of the 19th century, and also his housekeeper. In flashback and concurrent narration, it is also the story of Andrew Bogle, a Jamaican who was taken to England by Edward Tichborne. 

Throughout the novel as the events of the trial unfold, Eliza becomes the readers' eyes and ears to 19th century literary society where she entertains for her cousing, the likes of Dickens and Thackeray. Her dinner parties are renowned and anticipated. She knows, however, how dreadful her cousin's works of literature are and it is the one part of his life she does not manage. She even manages his wedding to Sarah Wells, his maid, with whom he has fathered a child. 

Although not a courtroom drama, the scenes at the trial are fascinating and show how Sarah, who is obsessed with the man who has claimed to be the the rightful heir of Sir Roger Tichborne and Eliza are on opposite sides. The Claimant has a very weak case in that he couldn't remember classmates, know how to speak French, and the presence of a tattoo, or absence of one. Eliza befriends Andrew Bogle and through him is able to decry her abhorrence of slavery and how the Americans vs. the English are handling that institution.

 Written in a serialized style, as Dickens would have,  The Fraud moves backward and forward through Eliza's life and also that of Andrew Bogle. The many locations in England often time necessitated having a map by my side to understand the travel and journeys made by the characters. It is a masterpiece of writing. Zadie Smith whom we were privileged to hear speak in September, 2023.