The Leavers (National Book Award Finalist): A Novel

The last book that I read that was as bad as this, The Goldfinch, won a Pulitzer Prize. It was a compendium of disreputable characters engaged in endless drunkenness and and bad drug trips. When the author finally stopped boring me, she concluded with a nihilistic essay that was unnecessary and offensive. Apparently, there is not a very high standard for a Pulitzer Prize. The same applies to this "awarded" book.I guess there are no editors left in the world. Who could permit so many chapters to begin without making it clear who was speaking. By the time the subject was revealed, it no longer mattered. Who could permit page after page of description which was of no value to the story? Who would permit so many unlikable and poorly developed characters . Only Michael had it together. Daniel's mother loved him but she loved herself more.Finally, and mercifully, the author realized that she had created a story that she could not end, so she simply stopped writing.

The Leavers by Lisa Ko is a Book of the Month pick this month, but I will be honest in stating I did not pick it as one of my selections for the month. My box already had my 3 choices, so when it came out, I picked it up on my own. I am glad I did as it is a book that had me thinking, it stuck with me, and it was just a great read even in the midst of the difficult topics.The book opens with Deming Guo and his mother Polly. They are living in a tiny apartment in NYC with relatives and life is a struggle, but all seems well. Polly goes off to work one day and does not return. Deming is brought to child services where he is adopted by a NY suburban couple and is given the name Daniel.Daniel isn't the perfect child, he struggles in school, he kind of coasts through life, and winds up with a gambling addiction and isolates himself from his friends.Daniel is haunted by his memories of his previous life. He knows he is not Daniel, but Deming and he knows his mother is out there somewhere, so he begins his search for her and what happened that day.The narrative shifts to Polly's story. It is a story of coming into NY as an undocumented pregnant woman who is dropped off alone in the world. She has always been independent, but now she is in NY and must work low wage jobs to make ends meet. She has to make tough choices in her life to protect her son. Her life is a life of struggle and frustration as she knows this isn't the life she wants. Her narrative takes us back to the day she left Deming behind because she was arrested and deported in an immigration raid (not a spoiler).A lot more happens, but I would start walking into spoiler territory, so I am going to end there.I have to write, I loved the parallel lives. Both Daniel and Polly are in places and situations they don't want to be in. They are missing their identities and travel the world kind of lost. Both have major struggles, but they are incredibly different struggles. It was a great piece on identity and not being content with oneself.The writing in the book drew me in and I just flew through this book. The story doesn't ever really slow at all and at times I didn't want to put it down. It isn't that a lot happens, but you do care about Daniel and Polly. The emotional pull of almost resenting Polly for what she did and the pull back to loving her because she had no other choice, but to give up Deming was a roller coaster.I cannot recommend this one enough. This is a pure drama, so don't expect comedy breaks or a beach read. This is just a great book that needs time to marinade with.I gave this one 5 stars.

Our son grew up with a boy born in Asia who, as an infant, was adopted by an American, middle class family. He had perfectly nice parents and a biracial adopted sister. Our son told us the boy felt sad, wondering why his mother gave him up, and about how he was conflicted by being different as the only Asian in school. There was always an air of sadness about the boy.I thought of that boy, now a man, while reading Lisa Ko's debut novel The Leavers. The book is a moving journey into the lives of Deming/Daniel, a Chinese American child adopted by an American family, and his birth mother Pelian/Polly, bold and strong but whose fierce love of her child cannot save them from the forces--poverty and the law-- that inevitably separate her from her child.Pelian/Polly Gao is an unforgettable character, born in rural China, daughter of a fisherman. She imagines possibilities of another life and will do anything to achieve her dreams. She could have settled for marrying the village boy who loved her, remained in China, taking care of her aging fisherman father. She could have had an abortion and stayed in the Chinese factory dormitory, working long hours. Instead, she takes out a loan to go to America.Her son Deming was born in New York City. But Polly's debt meant long hours working for low wages. She sends her son to live with her father in China. After the death of his grandfather, Deming rejoins his mother, who is living with her boyfriend and his sister and nephew. Those years are Deming's happiest. He adores his mother and has a 'brother' for best friend.One day Deming's mother disappears. He is placed in a foster home and is adopted by an educated and well-off family. Now called Daniel, the boy never feels at home in his new world, any more than his mother had felt at home in her rural village.Daniel flounders in life. Then he is brought into contact with people from his past who led him on a quest to find his mother. And finally learns the harrowing events that led to their separation.Illegal immigration, the immigrant experience, the love between a mother and a child, and the search for authenticity and a place to belong are all themes in the novel.The novel has garnered much well deserved praise and I purchased it to read. The beauty of Ko's writing and the memorable characters made this an outstanding read.

I loved the twists and turns in this well-written story. The characters were complex and alive. Just when you'd start to judge a character, another layer would be exposed that changed your view. Well worth the time to read. I paid full price for this edition and feel like I definitely got my money's worth.

I found this book interesting but not great. Polly's story was the better part of the book. Deming was hurt and confused by being left behind but at some point I wanted to just shake him and say do what you want or at least move in that direction. The book talks about what he wants to do musically but not very clearly. The book just ends abruptly with him finally doing what he wants but it would have been nice to see a little more success before the book ended. There is no clear resolution with his adoptive parents - are they supportive?

Estrangement, reconciliation, search for the self are all confronted in this vividly written novel centered around a mother/son relationship. The growing pains of this boy born into a Chinese family in the US, caught between two different ethnic communities is emblematic of the times we live in. Never banal, always insightful, Lisa Ko creates several memorable characters which stay with you long after you've finished the book.

This book is about a young boy who ends up getting fostered then adopted and the story is told through all parties involved. Due to all the different points of view the story becomes a rich and full read. However, theres a unneeded twist in the 2nd half of the book that drags it down and because of this I never finished the book.

I'm not good at writing long reviews, but I thought this book was wonderful. It handles the themes of racial identity, loneliness and connection so beautifully. And also gives a real eye-opening sense of what life is like for undocumented immigrants. Can't recommend it highly enough.

I had to ration my reading -wanted to gobble up the whole book in one go, but needed to have time off from such a concentrated piece of writing. All the characters are so real, the situations at times so desperate. Written with humour, showing great love and determination, a fantastic book.

Beautifully written with lovely, well-developed characters. Still a sad story, but with a lot of heart. A great read, would look for more from this author.