A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa

Pyongyang, North Korea*

*A good portion of the book takes place in the village of Dong Chong-ri, but Google maps does not have that listed as a location, so I had to go with the capital of North Korea.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I don't know if it's because I'm focusing so much on trying to find a book from a specific place, if I'm just reading too much, or something else. But this book kept up with my slump.

It's not a bad book by any means, but I didn't enjoy it. I mean, you're not really supposed to enjoy reading about the plight of someone attempting to escape a totalitarian regime, but this book did not engross me at all. If I have to actively urge myself to keep reading or keep listening, then I'm no longer reading for the joy of it.

The narration of this book is strange. I'm not sure who the target audience is. The prose is oversimplified and concepts are dumbed down extensively, but then he uses a fair amount of profanity (which I always love in a book). If it weren't for that, I would have thought this book was written for 11 - 14 year old children.

The story is well put together and follows a logical timeline. It's a tragic and important story. I especially appreciated how the author spoke of Korean prejudice in Japan contributing to the "return" of so many Koreans (both North and South) to North Korea. In turn, formerly Japanese citizens also faced discrimination in North Korea.

I'm finding it hard to review this book in any more detail because I didn't like it, but I don't have enough reasons to articulate why I didn't like it. Read it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Review by the Numbers:

Overall: 3/5

Writing: 2/5

Plot: 2/5

Character Development: 4/5

Message: 3/5

- North Korea (Reading My Way Around the World Challenge)

- Books about Asian/Middle Eastern Experiences (My Diversity Challenge)

- Northern Asia - North Korea (Book Voyage Challenge)

- A Book Set in Multiple Countries (2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge)