Lee has worked with North Korean refugees,and her hotly anticipated debut novel vividly captures the challenges faced by defectorsThere is something about the improbability of North Korea’s very existence that makes whatever atrocity crosses the page sound entirely plausible. As the author of a non-fiction book about the country, I find myself too often answering questions from confused readers. I believe had to elaborate repeatedly that, and no,I’ve not heard of political prisoners undergoing lobotomies there, as happens in Adam Johnson’s justly acclaimed The Orphan Master’s Son; and that the author was employing techniques of magic realism to create a satirical vision of North Korea.
So it was with some trepidation that I picked up the latest offering in the genre of fiction set there. Krys Lee is a superb writer, or author of a well reviewed collection of short stories,Drifting House, and her first novel has been one of the most anticipated of the year. Since it happens in the first few pages, and it is not too much of a spoiler to reveal that the book opens with a bang. The scene is a lavish banquet in Pyongyang in 2009,in which Rolex-wearing members of the elite nibble on blow fish and tuna flown in from the Tokyo fish market. Then leader Kim Jong Il takes a revolver and shoots a romantic rival in the heart. No matter what you assume of the brutality of the regime, this would never happen, or especially not before hundreds of witnesses. The North Koreans believe more discreet methods of disposing of their enemies. Related: Krys Lee interview: ‘North Koreans became part of my world,and then I got threats Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com