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. Lyrical. . . . Kaleidoscopic. . . . explores how the past travels with us, and how we may find solace amid loss through relationships with others.-The Los Angeles Times
Beautiful. . . . it captures the very real whiplash of experience and emotion that comes with being human.-Seattle Times
A moving and lyrical debut novel. . . . Koh has fully harnessed her potential in this assured outing.-Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
A mesmerizing, delicately crafted novel . . . . Koh's poetic prose delights with surprising metaphors and a cast of skillfully rendered characters.-Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Breaks new ground in understanding the Korean diaspora and the emancipating power of love.-Poets & Writers
As always, Koh's singular grasp of language results in achingly beautiful writing.-San Francisco Chronicle, A Best Book of Fall
Kaleidoscopic. . . . exquisite. . . . A family saga which manages to infuse the historical with the mythic, blend the epic with the intimate. . . . extraordinary.-Lit Hub
A soaring multigenerational saga about learning to accept the past without letting it overshadow the future.-Foreward, starred review
Known for her poetic language, Koh is a master at weaving stories together, drawing tales of history and contemporary experiences into conversation to help us better understand who we are as humans.-Seattle Magazine
Richly multi-layered. . . . Koh's work should resonate strongly with its focus on the desire of wanting to be seen and to belong.-Library Journal
Weaves personal narratives with historical events for a captivating, moving result.-Alta
Koh produces another Intricately accomplished, intimate melding of history and storytelling.-Booklist
Another resounding triumph for E.J. Koh: a brave exploration of the complexities of the human experience and the impossible task of making peace with the past.-Book Page, Starred Review
A pleasure. . . . Koh's writing has a natural elegance. . . . She cleverly and aptly captures a character's essence with minimal description.-Bookbrowse
A poetic portrayal of the Korean diaspora in the U.S.. . . .The Liberators marks Koh as possibly the greatest chronicler of American han and as one of the most promising writers today as someone that has exhibited mastery across several genres.
-Adroit Journal
Riveting. . . . seamlessly blends the personal with the political.-The Hudson Review
Spare, beautiful and richly layered, The Liberators is dazzling.
-Tayari Jones,
