The Leavers describes the devastation caused by forced, abrupt and secret detentions that occur daily under our current Immigration Act. An affecting novel that details the the gut-wrenching realities facing illegal immigrants and their families in modern America, Lisa Ko's debut is the 2017 fiction release you can't afford to miss. The Leavers expertly weaves a tale of the conflicts between love and loyalty, personal identity and familial obligation, and the growing divide between freedom and social justice. Lisa Ko's The Leavers is the year's powerful debut you won't want to miss. In alternating perspectives, this heart-wrenching literary debut tells both of their stories.

When Deming Guo was 11, his Chinese immigrant mother, Polly, left for work at a nail salon and never returned. dazzling debut.… Filled with exquisite, heartrending details, Ko’s exploration of the often-brutal immigrant experience in America is a moving tale of family and belonging ( Book of the Week). Beyond the desensitizing media coverage, Ko gives faces, (multiple) names, and details to create a riveting story of a remarkable family coming, going, leaving … all in hopes of someday returning to one another. Orgeously redemptive… Lisa Ko’s debut novel is an achingly beautiful read about immigration, adoption, and the drive to belong. One of 2017's most anticipated fiction debuts.… The winner of last year's PEN/Bellwether Prize, which recognizes fiction that explores issues of social justice, The Leavers feels as relevant as ever as the future of immigrants in America hangs in the balance.īeautifully written and deeply affecting, combining the emotional insight of a great novel with the integrity of long-form journalism, The Leavers is a timely meditation on immigration, adoption, and the meaning of family. What she makes of herself, and what we might make of her, are of interest from any number of angles.

Indeed, the greatest strength of the book lies in its provocative depiction of a modern Chinese woman uninterested in traditional roles of any kind. Moreover, Deming’s feisty mother is compellingly complicated: Polly Guo has an itch for freedom she cannot ignore. Thoroughly researched and ambitious in scope, Ko’s book ably depicts the many worlds Deming’s life encompasses.… It is impossible not to root for a boy so foundationally unmoored by circumstance.

The leavers review