‘Sensational’ Guardian
‘Utterly immersive’ Daily Mail
‘There was a time I would have called Lisa Ko’s novel beautifully written, ambitious and moving, and all of that is true, but it’s more than that now: if you want to understand a forgotten and essential part of the world we live in, The Leavers is required reading’ Ann Patchett, author of Commonwealth
One morning, Deming Guo’s mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, goes to her job at a nail salon and never comes home. No one can find any trace of her.
With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left mystified and bereft. Eventually adopted by a pair of well-meaning white professors, Deming is moved from the Bronx to a small town upstate and renamed Daniel Wilkinson.
But far from all he’s ever known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his adoptive parents’ desire that he assimilate with his memories of his mother and the community he left behind.
Set in New York and China, The Leavers is a vivid examination of borders and belonging. It’s a moving story of how a boy comes into his own when everything he loves is taken away, and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of the past.
‘As relevant as ever as the future of immigrants in America hangs in the balance’ TIME
‘A rich, multifaceted portrait of displacement and the trauma of not belonging’ Independent
‘One of the most engaging, deeply probing, and beautiful books I have read this year’ Laila Lalami, author of The Moor’s Account
‘Instantly compelling’ Stylist
‘A must-read’ Marie Claire
FINALIST for the NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2017
WINNER OF THE 2016 PEN/BELLWETHER PRIZE FOR FICTION
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2017 BY OPRAH, NPR, BUZZFEED AND HUFFINGTON POST
‘Utterly immersive’ Daily Mail
‘There was a time I would have called Lisa Ko’s novel beautifully written, ambitious and moving, and all of that is true, but it’s more than that now: if you want to understand a forgotten and essential part of the world we live in, The Leavers is required reading’ Ann Patchett, author of Commonwealth
One morning, Deming Guo’s mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, goes to her job at a nail salon and never comes home. No one can find any trace of her.
With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left mystified and bereft. Eventually adopted by a pair of well-meaning white professors, Deming is moved from the Bronx to a small town upstate and renamed Daniel Wilkinson.
But far from all he’s ever known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his adoptive parents’ desire that he assimilate with his memories of his mother and the community he left behind.
Set in New York and China, The Leavers is a vivid examination of borders and belonging. It’s a moving story of how a boy comes into his own when everything he loves is taken away, and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of the past.
‘As relevant as ever as the future of immigrants in America hangs in the balance’ TIME
‘A rich, multifaceted portrait of displacement and the trauma of not belonging’ Independent
‘One of the most engaging, deeply probing, and beautiful books I have read this year’ Laila Lalami, author of The Moor’s Account
‘Instantly compelling’ Stylist
‘A must-read’ Marie Claire
FINALIST for the NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2017
WINNER OF THE 2016 PEN/BELLWETHER PRIZE FOR FICTION
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2017 BY OPRAH, NPR, BUZZFEED AND HUFFINGTON POST
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Reviews
There was a time I would have called Lisa Ko's novel beautifully written, ambitious, and moving, and all of that is true, but it's more than that now: if you want to understand a forgotten and essential part of the world we live in, The Leavers is required reading
Ambitious . . . Lisa Ko has taken the headlines and has reminded us that beyond them lie messy, brave, extraordinary, ordinary lives
A must-read
One of 2017's most anticipated fiction debuts... The Leavers feels as relevant as ever as the future of immigrants in America hangs in the balance
Quietly sensational . . . its underlying themes of displacement and deportation carry deep and desperately urgent resonances far beyond America, and fiction
A rich, multifaceted portrait of displacement and the trauma of not belonging
Lisa Ko's writing is snappy, real and completely engrossing... it took my breath away
Instantly compelling
Utterly immersive
A rich and sensitive portrait of lives lived across borders, cultures, and languages ... One of the most engaging, deeply probing, and beautiful books I have read this year
There was a time I would have called Lisa Ko's novel beautifully written, ambitious and moving, and all of that is true, but it's more than that now: if you want to understand a forgotten and essential part of the world we live in, The Leavers is required reading.
Courageous, sensitive, and perfectly of this moment: The Leavers is everything I could hope for . . .
Brash, brave and heartbreaking . . . marvelous to behold. The Leavers is about the bonds between parents and children and the many pulls of home. It was a book I did not want to end.