The Leavers (National Book Award Finalist): A Novel

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.

I've always loved reading stories about families. Every persons perception of what family is is different from the next depending on their experiences. I love reading about the flaws, quirks, and circumstances that bring families together or drive them apart. The Leavers by Lisa Ko was a novel that looked at the topic of families in a way that differed from any other I've read before. I feel like during the current political climate this would be a good book for people to read as it focuses on a immigrant family from China. In a time when immigrant is a word that has different connotations to people Lisa Ko gives a face, a name. And a heartbeat to these sometimes invisible and nameless people. It is by no means a "political novel" which for me is a good thing. I'm not a terribly political person so that would have detracted from the book for me if I felt like their was a strong political motive. Maybe there was and Lisa Ko delivers it delicately enough that it doesn't smack you across the face which if that is the case I applaud her. The story follows the lives of Peilan "Polly" Guo and her son Deming Guo or Daniel. As a teenager Polly became pregnant in her small village in China. Finding herself in the difficult situation of being unmarried with an unwanted and unauthorized pregnancy she acquired money from a loan shark to escape to America and pursue her dreams of independence and freedom by making a life of her choosing. Upon arriving in America however she immediately discovered the struggles and limited opportunities for a woman in her position who spoke little to no English. Polly discovers after Deming is born that what had begun as an unwanted pregnancy developed into a love so fierce that she would do anything for it. Burdened by an overwhelming debt and lack of support Polly makes the impossible choice to send her infant son back to China to be cared for by her father while she worked to reduce her debt and be able to bring him back to America when he reached school age. As a mother I cannot fathom being separated from my child. I read several reviews that commented that the characters in this novel were not likable. I think Polly herself said it best when she said " I didn't forget, I survived." Polly is fierce and strong. I think her circumstances would have broken weaker people it is impossible to face what she faced and come out unscathed. What some saw as selfish behavior I see as a necessary sense of self preservation for a woman who had a lifetime of losses. After the death of her father Deming returned to America to live with a mother he did not know. Raised in crowded housing with other immigrants the Guo's definitition of family seems to shift with every chapter. Several years later Polly and Deming are living with Polly's boyfriend and his family when inexplicably Polly fails to return home from work one day. When Polly's absence turns from days to weeks to months and no other options Deming is surrendered to Foster care by his caregivers and is shortly after placed for adoption with American college professors Kay and Peter Wilkerson. Deming' snake is changed to Daniel by his adoptive parents because they feel it will make him feel more apart of their family, but it only serves to add in the identity struggles that he faces and the fear of not being enough that fill him after he is abandoned by his mother without explanation. Much of the book deals with him as a teenager and young adult at the age of 21 who like most people his age are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their life. Coupled with issues from his past and poor choices Deming finds himself sort of bouncing aimlessly through life caught in a struggle to fulfill his adoptive parents expectations and find himself. When he is contacted by someone from his past telling him they have news about his mother it serves to stir up even more uncertainty and fear about his future. Deming eventually finds his mother and begins the sometimes painful process of finding out why she left him and learning that time and distance cannot break the bonds between them. The story is told from both Polly and Deming's perspective it is a story about family, loss, survival, healing, and ultimately finding yourself in a world where you are pulled an infinite amount of directions. This book is not fast paced, and occasionally you tend to be annoyed with the characters, but Ko ties together their stories beautifully and in a heartbreaking manner. While the book ends differently than I had hoped it did leave me with a sense of hope for all the characters involved which I guess at the end of the day is all you can ask for.

There's a lot going on in this novel. There are really 2 stories that unfold: one of a young Chinese girl coming to America; the other is the son she is pregnant with and his coming of age. Then there is the separation that they both must endure, and finally their being reunited after many years apart. I found the writing to be overloaded at times with a rambling quality. But it also had a very humanistic and relatable quality when it delved into relationships between parent and child, lovers, and friendships. Lisa Ko has a great command of vivid and poetic language. I would recommend this book. I really wanted yo give it 3 1/2 stars. All around Lisa Ko fleshes out her main characters so that you really care about them.

A superb story about loss and resilience. You fall in love with the main characters Polly and her son Deming. You watch them struggle with hardship and opportunity. They are imperfect but readers close the book feeling their energy and optimism. The story also takes readers into the Chinese immigrant community in NYC and links that world with China. Polly survives and flourishes in spite of the horrors of America’s broken immigration gulag of prison camps. But her broken relationship with the son torn away from her can never be forgotten.

Good

野心溢れる中国人女性がシングルマザーとして息子を産み、ニューヨークに渡り、貧困と闘いながら息子を育てるが、ある日、忽然と消息不明になってしまう。 残された息子は、アカデミックな白人夫婦に引き取られ裕福に育てられるが、、。 息子と母親の両方の視点から、淡々と語られる二人の人生は、アメリカ移民の現実、中国の急激な経済発展、人種の壁、いろんな要素を含んでいて現実の酷しさが伝わってくる。

A complex and at times hearbreaking story of life, love, leaving, loss. Told from two perspectives across two very different countries this intricately woven yet simply written story highlights the issues of migration, of adoption, of the bonds that bind a family and finally of hope, belonging and the need to find and choose one's own destiny.

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.

I liked this book very much, what makes a family a family, what is your identity are main topics. Also learned about aspects of immigration I never knew anything about. Would recommend the book.