The Leavers

by

Lisa Ko

Polly’s boyfriend, and Vivian’s brother. Leon is a good-natured man who works in a slaughterhouse and enjoys playing cards. He and Polly fall in love shortly before Deming returns as a six-year-old to the United States after having lived in China for several years with Polly’s father. Unbothered that Polly has a son, Leon suggests that she and Deming move in with him, Vivian, and Michael, and they enjoy six happy years together before Polly disappears. In the months after Polly vanishes, Leon tries his best to care for Deming, but he has trouble making enough money because he has a back injury that gets in the way of his ability to work. After six months, he moves back to China without saying farewell to Deming. Ten years later, Vivian gives Deming (who now goes by Daniel) Leon’s number. When Daniel calls, he learns that Leon has a wife and a daughter, and Leon gives him Polly’s current information. Not long after this conversation, Daniel travels to Fuzhou, and when he can’t find his mother, he reaches out to Leon, who helps him find Polly’s apartment.

Leon Quotes in The Leavers

The The Leavers quotes below are all either spoken by Leon or refer to Leon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Cultural Identity and Belonging Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

There was a restlessness to her, an inability to be still or settled. She jiggled her legs, bounced her knees, cracked her knuckles, twirled her thumbs. She hated being cooped up in the apartment on a sunny day, paced the rooms from wall to wall to wall, a cigarette dangling from her mouth. “Who wants to go for a walk?” she would say. Her boyfriend Leon would tell her to relax, sit down. “Sit down? We’ve been sitting all day!” Deming would want to stay on the couch with Michael, but he couldn’t say no to her and they’d go out, no family but each other. He would have her to himself, an ambling walk in the park or along the river, making up stories about who lived in the apartments they saw from the outside.

Related Characters: Peilan Guo / Polly Guo (speaker), Deming Guo / Daniel Wilkinson, Michael, Leon
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:

If he hadn’t gotten detention—if he had left school at the usual time—if he hadn’t resisted Florida—if he’d intercepted the fight she had with Leon—she would still be here. Like a detective inspecting the same five seconds of surveillance video, he replayed last Wednesday afternoon, walking the blocks from school to home.

Related Characters: Deming Guo / Daniel Wilkinson, Peilan Guo / Polly Guo, Vivian, Leon
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

Once I might have become this woman, free to move across the country because she heard a city was beautiful. Instead I had become a woman like Vivian, watching TV, cooking for you and Leon, making sure the dumplings were fried and not steamed, unsure if I should marry my boyfriend but not wanting to lose him either. An uneasiness settled into me. This October would be followed by another winter, another spring, until it was time for October again.

Related Characters: Peilan Guo / Polly Guo (speaker), Deming Guo / Daniel Wilkinson, Vivian, Leon
Page Number: 205
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Leavers PDF

Leon Quotes in The Leavers

The The Leavers quotes below are all either spoken by Leon or refer to Leon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Cultural Identity and Belonging Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

There was a restlessness to her, an inability to be still or settled. She jiggled her legs, bounced her knees, cracked her knuckles, twirled her thumbs. She hated being cooped up in the apartment on a sunny day, paced the rooms from wall to wall to wall, a cigarette dangling from her mouth. “Who wants to go for a walk?” she would say. Her boyfriend Leon would tell her to relax, sit down. “Sit down? We’ve been sitting all day!” Deming would want to stay on the couch with Michael, but he couldn’t say no to her and they’d go out, no family but each other. He would have her to himself, an ambling walk in the park or along the river, making up stories about who lived in the apartments they saw from the outside.

Related Characters: Peilan Guo / Polly Guo (speaker), Deming Guo / Daniel Wilkinson, Michael, Leon
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:

If he hadn’t gotten detention—if he had left school at the usual time—if he hadn’t resisted Florida—if he’d intercepted the fight she had with Leon—she would still be here. Like a detective inspecting the same five seconds of surveillance video, he replayed last Wednesday afternoon, walking the blocks from school to home.

Related Characters: Deming Guo / Daniel Wilkinson, Peilan Guo / Polly Guo, Vivian, Leon
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

Once I might have become this woman, free to move across the country because she heard a city was beautiful. Instead I had become a woman like Vivian, watching TV, cooking for you and Leon, making sure the dumplings were fried and not steamed, unsure if I should marry my boyfriend but not wanting to lose him either. An uneasiness settled into me. This October would be followed by another winter, another spring, until it was time for October again.

Related Characters: Peilan Guo / Polly Guo (speaker), Deming Guo / Daniel Wilkinson, Vivian, Leon
Page Number: 205
Explanation and Analysis: