THE LIBERATORS

E. J. Koh is the author of The Magical Language of Others, which won a Washington State Book Award, Pacific Northwest Book Award, and Association for Asian American Studies Book Award, and was longlisted for the PEN Open Book Award. Koh is also the author of the poetry collection A Lesser Love, a Pleiades Press Editors Prize for Poetry winner. Koh’s work has appeared in AGNI, the Atlantic, Boston Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Poetry, Slate, World Literature Today, and elsewhere. Koh earned her MFA at Columbia University and her PhD at the University of Washington, and has received National Endowment for the Arts and MacDowell fellowships. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

“Breaks new ground in understanding the Korean diaspora and the emancipating power of love.” —Poets & Writers

“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

“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

“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

1. “By an early age, I could read and write in six languages. I found a tool—an ink brush, a twig, or my stub finger—and used it to draw a character on parchment, dirt, or air.” How does language carry on through the rest of the novel—through different language but also through poetry and translation and imagery? What is the language of the characters and the language of the story?

2. “I classed rock, plant, animal, man, and God. I observed a patch of weeds and then myself in the mirror to see the differences between plant and man. Between them was a middle point, or animal. I asked what stood between man and God.” In what ways do hierarchies impact the relationship between ourselves and the world? In what ways do hierarchies oppress relationships between nations, within society and family?

3. “I realized the wall was never there to begin with. There was never a wall.” One of the themes of The Liberators is borders—real and imaginary. In what ways do the relationships between and within characters affected by borders? In what ways do borders come down, and in what ways do they persist?

4. “It’s a little like killing chickens.” What are the forces that bring Insuk and Huran together, what are the forces that drive them apart? What are the similarities and dissimilarities in their beliefs about motherhood or being a mother-in-law—and how are these women tyrannized from within and without?

5. The Liberators often brings up historical and intergenerational trauma and a legacy of colonialization—how are different countries connected by their pasts? Where do recurrent traumas appear in each subsequent generation? What events in global history come to mind for you?

6. Sungho differentiates personal memory and state memory through community grieving and public memorials. How does memory change over time, and in what ways can it be affected by personal and state memory? For the Gwangju Massacre, the Ukishima Maru, and the Sewol Ferry accident, what are the testimonies of the guards and the prisoners, the perpetrators and liberators?

7. “Toto was now in the fields with the mice and the hawks and the rabbits and the foxes and the insects and the fruits and the sun.” Animal companionship has shaped Henry throughout his life. In what ways do you think animals have shaped the characters and the story—whether it be Toto or the doves or the boar—what do they teach us?

8. “You know why the TV was invented? So presidents can apologize in person. The high resolution is so we can see their tears.” What is the role of apology in the lineage of destruction and reparation? What kinds of public and private apologies have you witnessed in the past? How do apologies impede or exacerbate conflict between people and nations?

9. Compare the lineage of the characters—the similarities and differences between parents and children and grandchildren—what beliefs do they share and where do they disagree? How do these beliefs affect what choices the characters make for their future?

10. “We can liberate others because we’ve already liberated ourselves.” How do you define liberation? What are examples of liberation throughout the novel? In what ways do each of the characters liberate each other? In what ways do they liberate themselves?

11. How does lightness coexist with violence in different places and moments in the novel—whether during the protests or in the prison or in the townhome or in the church or on the ship? How do these places and moments hold disparate ideas and moods and images?

12. The peripheral characters unveil surprising perspectives throughout the novel—the guard, the coroner, Toto, and Tomoko. How do their perspectives contribute to the story and your reading of the novel? How do their testimonies ground us or separate us from reality or the imaginary? What role do reality and imagination play in the novel?

13. “All those years, I must have believed Sungho was cruel, but when left alone, his joy was larger than my body.” How does Insuk and Sungho’s relationship change over the course of their courtship and marriage? What do they realize about themselves and their relationship to each other?

14. “Koreans love Titanic. Because it’s so Korean.” What does it mean to be Korean for each of the characters? How do the meanings change over time and with each generation? What differences or similarities do the meanings share—and what do they reveal about the relationship between selfhood and nationhood?

15. “Our problems since the border went up are growing. You know it, without me telling you tonight. The era we live in now deepens inequalities within and between nations. The consequences are landing on ordinary people and causing further divisions in wealth and policies as we grapple with discrimination, tribal nationalism, and greed.” What do Robert’s words imply about humanity in the face of global inequality and violence? How do other characters agree or disagree with Robert’s sense of moral obligation to the Korean peninsula? What are the opposing ideas on the matter of reunification—and what is their significance to the story?

16. Discuss the significance of the titles to each of the parts of the novel: “Invisible Lines,” “Animal Kingdom,” “Colony of light,” and “The Endling.” In what ways do the titles seemingly fit the parts of the novel—and in what ways do they add to your interpretation of the novel?

17. “I said she must not struggle against hope, that we must not become miserable or disappointed, no matter the circumstances, because the sun still shone upon the wreckage and the water, and upon everyone and everywhere in the world.” Despite the ongoing circumstances of personal and national tragedy, what does Insuk offer in her words? What does the novel’s conclusion suggest about a path toward the future?