We’re thrilled to share that Lisa Ko‘s powerful debut, The Leavers, has earned a well-deserved spot as a finalist (finalist!) for the National Book Award for Fiction. 

Set in New York and China, The Leavers is a vivid examination of borders and belonging. It’s a moving story of how a boy comes into his own when everything he loves is taken away, and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of the past.

The praise for The Leavers has been pouring in from the beginning. In fact, the book got its start as the winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Fiction, awarded by Barbara Kingsolver, for a novel that addresses issues of social justice. And the rave reviews and excitement have been rolling in ever since. Here’s just a sampling:

“…dazzling debut… Filled with exquisite, heartrending details, Ko’s exploration of the often-brutal immigrant experience in America is a moving tale of family and belonging.” —People (Book of the Week)

“This wrenching and all-too-topical debut novel picks up the life of an 11-year-old American-born boy on the day his mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, disappears. As with the recent film “Lion,” he has adoptive white parents in his life and a missing mother on his mind. Ko uses the voices of both the boy and his birth mother to tell a story that unfolds in graceful, realistic fashion and defies expectations. Though it won last year’s PEN/Bellwether Award for Socially Engaged Fiction, Ko’s book is more far-reaching than that.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times

“Ambitious… Lisa Ko has taken the headlines and has reminded us that beyond them lie messy, brave, extraordinary, ordinary lives.” —New York Times Book Review

“…searing first novel…” —O, The Oprah Magazine

“When Deming Guo was 11, his Chinese immigrant mother, Polly, left for work at a nail salon and never returned. In alternating perspectives, this heart-wrenching literary debut tells both of their stories. Grade: A” —Entertainment Weekly

And it’s the kind of book that makes us happy to be in the publishing biz so we get to read it and talk about it. If you haven’t already, start reading The Leavers now. The National Book Award winners in four categories category will be announced November 15.