The Leavers

This is a really emotional book. The story of a Chinese American boy whose mother is deported so that he is adopted by an American couple with a very different lifestyle than he is used to. It kept me very interested and I felt a great deal of sympathy for both Daniel and his mother, who is an equal character in the story. The structure is skillfully rendered to keep the reader wondering exactly what happened and what is GOING to happen, with a satisfactory resolution that reflects the growing maturity and acceptance of both mother and now adult son… show more.

This was one of the most sensitive portrayals of the effects of deportation on families that I’ve ever read.

I resonated even more strongly because it was set in New York City (my hometown), and the descriptions of different neighborhoods really came to life. I also appreciated the dual point of view narration (the story is told from both the mother and son’s perspective), and I could relate to both characters, even when they made difficult choices that ended up being hurtful. 

I love a book that turns me into an emotional wreck… but in a good way!

The way Lisa presents and develops the characters provides insights into their decision-making that made me rethink who they were. While there are countless books that delve into the relationships–or lack thereof–between mothers and daughters and their lifelong effects, especially in adoption lit, I appreciated this book’s focus on the mother-son relationship.

It is also a book that I found rich in thinking through family, immigration, race, adoption, and adulthood. 

From the first page, The Leavers transported me to a hidden realm of New York City, where an undocumented nail salon worker struggles to provide for her son.

When this mother disappears, gritty realism combines with mystery and urgency, as well as a deepening sense of sympathy for every character’s fight to move forward and survive in a broken system.

Ko’s prose is electrifying.