Instead of supporting him in his search for a music career, they insist he must complete college. His financial aid and work-study income had been enough to cover tuition when his grades were decent, and Potsdam had been far enough upstate that Daniel could hide out, not be solely known as Roland’s friend.” Daniel's parents are undemocratic. Ko writes, “Peter and Kay had wanted Daniel to go to Carlough, where they could get him faculty tuition cut, but had relented to his choice of SUNY Potsdam as long as he promised not to take music classes. Written by people who wish to remain anonymousĭeconstruct Kay and Peter’s parenting style. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. The Leavers is an important addition to the American canon, filling out a perspective we see far too little of, the story of those who don’t or can’t write books to tell us about their lives, their very bodies supporting the ugly and unstable foundation of our capitalist consumerist society.These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Ko’s language is often beautiful and surprising: “Deming dug his fingernails into his arm, ten sharp half-moons sparking pain.” Her characters are deeply and complexly realized, even when they’re not the main focus of the story. It reminded me a little of John Wray’s brilliant characterization of the MTA in his novel Low Boy. I also loved how the NYC subway system is a geography in itself. It made me realize, yet again, how important literature’s role is in our education, understanding and compassion when it comes to politics and history. But the novel depicts aspects of the city I am ignorant of, except when reading the occasional investigative report about the plight of undocumented Asian workers. The most powerful parts of The Leavers for me were about New York, a city I presume to know about. Daniel’s synesthetic affects as per his growing music obsession felt a bit sudden and forced although they were quite lovely to read: “His eyes ached. It was however frustrating to watch this character crash and burn.

This last was a refreshing realistic departure from much of the immigrant literature out there. The trials of racism, class, and ambition prove heavy burdens for Deming (re-named Daniel by his white parents) as he grows up, no model minority in the making. Deming gets whisked away via child services from a cramped multi-family situation in the Bronx to an academic family in a leafy suburb in upstate New York.

The book starts off with Deming, a boy whose mother, a nail salon worker, vanishes suddenly. Lisa Ko’s debut novel The Leavers is a sprawling multi-generational story of working-class undocumented Chinese immigrants in New York City. “His beauty was that his beauty was behind him, his appeal reflecting what he had already survived.”

The Leavers by Lisa Ko