The Liberators
By
E. J. Koh
Release:
11/07/2023
Runtime:
5h 13m
Unabridged
Quantity:
“Four narrators work together in this multigenerational story of migration, love, and loss…They bring to life the struggles of Insuk and her turbulent romance…The main story, taking place in the US, is mixed in with vignettes happening on the Korean peninsula. In these moments, Greta Jung’s voice serves as an anchor, filling in Insuk’s tumultuous life with heartfelt drama and empathy.”
AudioFile
Winner of the 2024 NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award
Finalist for the 2024 Washington State Book Award and the 2025 PNBA Book Award
“Spare, beautiful and richly layered, The Liberators is dazzling.”
―Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage
“A piercing, patient debut by one of our finest chroniclers of American han. You won't know what hit you until the final, perfect image.”
―Ed Park, author of Same Bed Different Dreams
Daejeon, South Korea. 1980. At twenty-four, Insuk falls in love with her college classmate, Sungho, and with her father’s blessing, they marry. But then, as the military dictatorship, martial law, and nationwide protests bring the country precariously to the edge, Insuk’s father disappears.
In the wake of his disappearance, Insuk flees to California with Sungho, their son Henry, and Sungho’s overbearing mother. Adrift in a new country, Insuk grieves the loss of her past and divided homeland, only to find herself drawn into an illicit affair that sets into motion dramatic events that will echo for generations to come.
Spanning two continents and four generations, E. J. Koh’s debut novel exquisitely captures two Korean families forever changed by fateful decisions made in love and war. Extraordinarily beautiful and deeply moving, The Liberators is an elegantly wrought family saga of memory, trauma, and empathy, and a stunning testament to the consequences and fortunes of inheritance.
Finalist for the 2024 Washington State Book Award and the 2025 PNBA Book Award
“Spare, beautiful and richly layered, The Liberators is dazzling.”
―Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage
“A piercing, patient debut by one of our finest chroniclers of American han. You won't know what hit you until the final, perfect image.”
―Ed Park, author of Same Bed Different Dreams
Daejeon, South Korea. 1980. At twenty-four, Insuk falls in love with her college classmate, Sungho, and with her father’s blessing, they marry. But then, as the military dictatorship, martial law, and nationwide protests bring the country precariously to the edge, Insuk’s father disappears.
In the wake of his disappearance, Insuk flees to California with Sungho, their son Henry, and Sungho’s overbearing mother. Adrift in a new country, Insuk grieves the loss of her past and divided homeland, only to find herself drawn into an illicit affair that sets into motion dramatic events that will echo for generations to come.
Spanning two continents and four generations, E. J. Koh’s debut novel exquisitely captures two Korean families forever changed by fateful decisions made in love and war. Extraordinarily beautiful and deeply moving, The Liberators is an elegantly wrought family saga of memory, trauma, and empathy, and a stunning testament to the consequences and fortunes of inheritance.
Release:
2023-11-07
Runtime:
5h 13m
Format:
audio
Weight:
0.0 lb
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780593863794
Publisher:
Penguin Random House
Praise