Lisa Ko - Böcker

** Winner of the 2016 PEN/BELLWETHER PRIZE, the 2017 ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR LITERATURE IN ADULT FICTION and the 2018 NEW YORK CITY HORNBLOWER AWARD FOR FIRST BOOK | Finalist for the 2018 PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD, the 2017 BARNES & NOBLE DISCOVER PRIZE and the 2017 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD **'Sensational' Guardian'Utterly immersive' Daily Mail'There was a time I would have called Lisa Ko's novel beautifully written, ambitious and moving, and all of that is true, but it's more than that now: if you want to understand a forgotten and essential part of the world we live in, The Leavers is required reading' Ann Patchett, author of CommonwealthOne morning, Deming Guo's mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, goes to her job at a nail salon and never comes home. No one can find any trace of her. With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left mystified and bereft. Eventually adopted by a pair of well-meaning white professors, Deming is moved from the Bronx to a small town upstate and renamed Daniel Wilkinson. But far from all he's ever known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his adoptive parents' desire that he assimilate with his memories of his mother and the community he left behind. 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.'As relevant as ever as the future of immigrants in America hangs in the balance' TIME'A rich, multifaceted portrait of displacement and the trauma of not belonging' Independent'One of the most engaging, deeply probing, and beautiful books I have read this year' Laila Lalami, author of The Moor's Account'Instantly compelling' Stylist'A must-read' Marie ClaireNamed a Best Book of 2017 by OPRAH, NPR, BUZZFEED and HUFFINGTON POST

"Remarkable . . . vividly captures the urgency of youth, and becomes a heart-breaking elegy for a communal, almost utopian approach to urban life." Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind"Bright with defiance, intelligence, and stubborn love. To spend time with these characters is a gift." C Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills is GoldIn the early 1980s, Giselle Chin, Jackie Ong, and Ellen Ng are three teenagers drawn together by their shared sense of alienation and desire for something different. "Allied in the weirdest parts of themselves," they envision each other as artistic collaborators and embark on a future defined by freedom and creativity.By the time they are adults, their dreams are murkier. As a performance artist, Giselle must navigate an elite social world she never conceived of. As a coder thrilled by the internet's early egalitarian promise, Jackie must contend with its more sinister shift toward monetization and surveillance. And as a community activist, Ellen confronts the increasing gentrification and policing overwhelming her New York City neighbourhood. Over time their friendship matures and changes, their definitions of success become complicated, and their sense of what matters evolves.Moving from the pre-digital 1980s to the art and tech subcultures of the 1990s to a strikingly imagined portrait of the 2040s, Memory Piece is an innovative and audacious story of three lifelong friends as they strive to build satisfying lives in a world that turns out to be radically different from the one they were promised.

**A BARACK OBAMA'S 2024 READING LIST title**"Remarkable . . . vividly captures the urgency of youth, and becomes a heart-breaking elegy for a communal, almost utopian approach to urban life." Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind"Bright with defiance, intelligence, and stubborn love. To spend time with these characters is a gift." C Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills is GoldIn the early 1980s, Giselle Chin, Jackie Ong, and Ellen Ng are three teenagers drawn together by their shared sense of alienation and desire for something different. "Allied in the weirdest parts of themselves," they envision each other as artistic collaborators and embark on a future defined by freedom and creativity.By the time they are adults, their dreams are murkier. As a performance artist, Giselle must navigate an elite social world she never conceived of. As a coder thrilled by the internet's early egalitarian promise, Jackie must contend with its more sinister shift toward monetization and surveillance. And as a community activist, Ellen confronts the increasing gentrification and policing overwhelming her New York City neighbourhood. Over time their friendship matures and changes, their definitions of success become complicated, and their sense of what matters evolves.Moving from the pre-digital 1980s to the art and tech subcultures of the 1990s to a strikingly imagined portrait of the 2040s, Memory Piece is an innovative and audacious story of three lifelong friends as they strive to build satisfying lives in a world that turns out to be radically different from the one they were promised.

A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF 2024 | A VOGUE BEST BOOK OF 2024 | ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE READS OF SUMMER 2024'There's no doubting Ko's talent' Daily Mail'Ambitious . . . [Ko] is unafraid to wrangle big ideas' Observer'One of those rare, sumptuous tales' ElleAs teenagers, Giselle Chin, Jackie Ong and Ellen Ng are drawn together by their sense of alienation. 'Allied in the weirdest parts of themselves,' they embark on a future defined by freedom and creativity.By the time they are adults, their dreams are murkier. As Giselle navigates an unfamiliar elite social world, Jackie contends with the internet's sinister shift towards surveillance and Ellen confronts the gentrification and policing overwhelming her New York City neighbourhood, they must reckon with a world radically different from the one they dreamed of.From the pre-digital 1980s to the visionary subcultures of the 1990s to a strikingly imagined portrait of the 2040s, Memory Piece is an innovative and audacious story of friendship, art and ambition that asks: what is the value of a meaningful life?