Winner of the PEN/Bellweather Prize for Fiction - The Leavers

I found the main characters were shallow & narrow minded & extremely dislikable. There was scant disregard for the people who had tried to put positives into two damaged lives. They were not allowed any feelings at all & given no credit for what they had tried to do.

This is a story of love, unfortunate circumstances and everything in between. The story goes from NYC to upstate NY to China. Each location delves a little deeper into the story, the one you thought you knew until you get to the next chapter. I would highly recommend it!

It was a fascinating subject. a boy born in NYC, his mother a Chinese national without a green card. He is sent to china to his grandfather to raise, so mother can pay off her loans to get to America more quickly, but when grandfather dies, he is sent back to his mother in NY. You can feel the love between Mother and child on his return and their very cramped lifestyle. One day Mother's work is raided and she is arrested as an illegal, there is no way to notify anyone, she is sent to a detention place and eventually back to China. In the meantime the boy is put up for adoption and has a wonderful American family in upstate NY, where he finishes school and becomes a very unhappy young man. The story has many interesting points, you could feel the emotions strongly. Very worth reading as it deals with our immigration problems and how US born citizens are often affected.

It was a fascinating subject. a boy born in NYC, his mother a Chinese national without a green card. He is sent to china to his grandfather to raise, so mother can pay off her loans to get to America more quickly, but when grandfather dies, he is sent back to his mother in NY. You can feel the love between Mother and child on his return and their very cramped lifestyle. One day Mother's work is raided and she is arrested as an illegal, there is no way to notify anyone, she is sent to a detention place and eventually back to China. In the meantime the boy is put up for adoption and has a wonderful American family in upstate NY, where he finishes school and becomes a very unhappy young man. The story has many interesting points, you could feel the emotions strongly. Very worth reading as it deals with our immigration problems and how US born citizens are often affected.

Interesting characters and a compelling story. Horrifying depiction of the holding camps where undocumented immigrants wait for ICE hearings - and the lack of due process in those hearings. Over-written at first (not EVERY sentence needs a metaphor), but thank goodness the writing became more natural and direct as the book went on.

Good story about adopting children in USA from other countries, in this case, China. The adoptive parents, both non-Chineseb professors at some rinky dink college, did not really prepare their adoptive son for any specific career, though. They were interested in academia, but his grades were not that terrific. Luckily, he loved music and had a friend who felt the same way, so he could make a few dollars playing music and working flipping hamburgers. Not a fulfilling life.

Beautiful story, at times both heartbreaking and infuriating, about a Chinese immigrant and her American born child. Their times together and apart are stories in themselves, but the end of the novel weaves them all together in a truthful, if not always pretty, real life fashion. I enjoyed every character, even when I found myself frustrated at their actions/ inactions. I learned a lot about the immigrant experience, and I throughly enjoyed the ride. Lovely story.

I have read many a book about Asian immigrants, however I would not recommend this book. The change in voice and characters is confusing and choppy. Overall I don't find it a particularly good read. I could have skipped reading this book and not missed anything.

I liked the characters and could identify with both mother and son. The author showed such an understanding of both Chinese and New York cultures. These complex stories about immigrants are very timely

This book personalized the undocumented mass of Chinese people that live around me in Flushing. It put a face and a story to the people I see on a daily basis. I was deeply moved by their struggles and the reasons they are here at the risk of their lives. I have more empathy and respect for their tenaciousness to succeed and belong to this culture and their own. I would like to thank Lisa Ko for having the courage to write such wonderful and moving story.

I loved this book. It’s about immigrants in America. You see people who could be from this book all the time in New York and other cities. This will give you a glimpse into their stories. It is extremely timely in light of our current debates on immagration.
The characters have stayed with me.

Lisa Ko has written a beautiful, heart wrenching story about family, immigration, identity, perseverance, and love. I cared deeply for Deming, Polly, and his family, in all the complicated forms they were in. This is an important story. One that everyone needs to read.

A powerful story that is resonant in today’s troubling immigration crisis. Lisa Ko shows the devastating effects upon a family when deportation happens amidst inhuman conditions. When Deming’s mother is inexplicably missing, he must face the horror of abandonment, and the consequent adjustments of living with a new family. The book has multiple compelling themes, including immigration, detention, imprisonment, parental loss, fostering and adoption, ethnic identity, and the mother/child bond. The characters, particularly Deming and Polly, are dynamic, always striving for self-identification. Beautifully written and provocative.

This book documents the struggles often not discussed with immigration in a country seen to be one of opportunity. This is a multi layered story touching on family, love and adoption in a heartbreaking beautifully told manner.

Deming Guo is a fifth grader living with his mother Polly in the Bronx. Polly is an illegal immigrant who supports them by working at a nearby nail salon. Together, they live in an apartment with her boyfriend and his family. One day, Polly does not return home from work and no one can find her.

Ten years later, Deming is a college student named Daniel. He is struggling with life and has developed a gambling problem. He is uninterested in college, and his friends are tired of his indecisiveness. He is a disappointment to his adoptive parents who have continued to provide support and encouragement throughout the years. He has believed throughout his life that his mother has abandoned him and this has shaped his behavior. This story evolves into the mystery regarding his mother's disappearance and how it has haunted his life.

The depiction of the emotional connection between mother and child is aided by the the flashbacks of Deming’s and Polly’s life prior to her disappearance. Points of view swap between both characters and enhances the flow of the book. The Leavers also provides readers with glimpses of the hardships faced by immigrants trying to assimilate to a new country.

This is a debut novel by the author.