Wow, that a debut novel can do so much and so beautifully—I was mesmerized from the very first page, when a young boy’s heart reaches his fingertips and thus marks the world with his words. Poet E. J. Koh does the same with her multigenerational family saga that is at once intimate and expansive. The Liberators is Korean history writ small, in the family relations of Insuk and Sungho, and the divisions and harm, the love, loyalty, strength, and hope of a people enduring. This book is a gem, simply stunning from start to finish.
—Melinda
