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grboph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Deportation, Abandonment, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Addiction, Medical content, Death of parent, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Pregnancy, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Abortion
madeleinebay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Grief, and Addiction
sakisreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Addiction, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
hearth_hobbit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Addiction
Moderate: Police brutality and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Misogyny and Kidnapping
sam_alysse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Police brutality, Abortion, and Classism
mayab1226's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The characterization of Peilan/Polly and Deming/Daniel, in my opinion, was fascinating and three-dimensional. I thought the narrative device of Deming/Daniel’s parts being written in third person, then Peilan/Polly’s being written in first person with her son as the narratee (“you”), was interesting and well-executed, if a bit surprising at first; it ultimately fit their characters well. I especially liked the unspoken similarities and parallels between them, the things that really make them mother and son—for instance, they both hate silence and find it oppressive (side note: I loved reading about Daniel’s synesthesia, since I have the same type—I see colors when I hear music), they both chafe at the idea of doing exactly what is expected of them, and ultimately
Which leads me to a disclaimer — I read this for a college class on Asian American Fiction. This review might also be influenced by my friend in that same class, who loved this novel and cited it as her favorite assigned book of the whole semester. But I genuinely think this was a well-written book that brings up very important issues. And in the end, it made me Feel Emotions—and isn’t that all you can truly ask of a novel?
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Addiction
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Violence
rebriley95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Grief
Minor: Addiction
atamano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment and Racism
Moderate: Addiction
bookdragon217's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I have been sitting on this review for almost two weeks because it is so beautiful. The Leavers by Lisa Ko is the story of Deming, a transracial adoptee who thinks his mother abandoned him when he was eleven. He grows up trapped between two worlds and never reconciles his feelings about his mother being gone. Polly, his mom has her own story and issues she is dealing with and she never stopped thinking about her son. An email from his old friend Michael set Deming, now Daniel on a path to possibly finding his mother and reconnecting with his Chinese roots.
The story is told from both perspectives and you get an in depth view of what each of them is going through. The writing really carries this story through the slow start. Both characters have flaws but I was invested in both of their stories until the end. There were points in the story where I wanted to rip the pages because the adoptive parents are so cringey and I know that there are actual people out there that share their beliefs. I found it difficult to garner any empathy for them at all.
I loved this book because I got to see the other side of the story. Media glorifies celebrity transracial adoptions but you never get to hear the stories of the adoptees themselves. This a story that many adoptees will be able to identify with.
The thoughts that stay with me after I finished were:
🌸 The U.S. deems white mothers to be more fit parents than immigrant parents.
🌸 The U.S. immigration policies are racist and continue to separate families.
🌸 Older transracial adoptees are forcibly assimilated and lose their connection with their home country.
🌸 The English only narrative harms more than helps.
🌸 Women still don't have the same economic and educational opportunities as men in many countries.
🌸 Women are expected to be mothers and wives and not have career goals and expectations for themselves.
🌸 Transracial adoptions is another way that the U.S. perpetuates ethnic cleansing and cultural erasure.
🌸 The pathway to citizenship for Blacks and POC is full of impossible red tape.
Bookdragon rating 4.75 🔥
Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, and Racism