The Leavers, by Lisa Ko, was my book club’s selection for November. I read it quickly and enjoyed it a great deal. In short, it’s about identity, ethnicity, and family ties. One day, Deming’s mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, goes to work and never comes home. Deming, then eleven, is left upset and mystified. He is eventually adopted by a white family in upstate New York, and renamed Daniel Wilkinson. The story is told alternately from Deming and his mother’s perspective and takes place in New York City, upstate New York and China. I was really taken with the characters and their struggles and think this was a deep and thoughtful read.