This is a thriller that mostly takes place in North Korea. The story revolves around a Korean American woman whose sister went missing when she was spending her gap year in South Korea. Twelve years after her twin sister's disappearance, Jenna Williams is an assistant professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and specializes in the North Korean regime. She is recruited by the CIA, where she is offered the possibility of finding out what really happened to her sister. Two other featured characters are a highly placed official in North Korea who goes to the US for a diplomatic mission, and an older peasant woman who is living and barely surviving in a North Korean penal colony.
When I purchased this book, I thought it was spy fiction, although I may have been most interested because it was set in North Korea. Booklist does categorize it under Spy/Espionage, but on Goodreads that category was not used. The book could qualify as related to spy fiction; the CIA is definitely involved. Jenna is training as a CIA operative. But the book is closer to a political thriller. As with any thriller, there are events and outcomes that seem unrealistic. However, for the most part I was convinced everything that happened in the book could have happened.
There are no unrealistic happy endings, and things were not all tied up at the end... but the story ended with an optimistic outlook for the future, in some ways.
The author did a lot of research for this book. At the end there is an Author's Note that provides background for a lot of events that were covered in the novel.
Star of the North is an amazing book. The characters are all very well done, and it was a compelling read. I learned so much about North Korea from this book, and it left me wanting to know more about that country and its history, although I imagine that any reading on that subject will be mostly depressing.
Please check out these resources: Two reviews, one at Staircase Wit and one at Mrs. Peabody Investigates. And an extract at Dead Good Books.
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Publisher: Crown, 2018
Length: 400 pages
Format: Hardcover
Setting: North Korea, US
Genre: Political Thriller
Source: On my TBR since 2018.
18 comments:
This does sound like a good one! Especially with that North Korean setting.
I'm rarely drawn to espionage or politics, but you make this sound good. Even if it doesn't have a particularly "happy" ending.
Lark, It isn't easy to find books set in North Korea. This one was just what I wanted, and I have no idea why I put off reading it for so long. Sometimes you just find the right book at the right time.
Kelly, I do like espionage (although it depends on how it is written), but this was really more a story about people, about the characters and what they experienced. It was so well done, I was very pleased.
I'm so glad you thought this was a good book, Tracy. I've been wanting to read this for a while, and just haven't yet. It's good to know it's worth the read.
Margot, it is definitely worth the read. I am glad I finally read this book.
Sounds a bit scary for the missing sister. I hope they find her in N.Korea and get her out of there. If she's still there, she must be in rough shape.
It's a book I want to read because the story is captivating, what happened to the missing sister and then the North Korean setting. We know so ,title about life inside North Korea and this book sounds like a good way to learn
I'm very intrigued too. I don't think I've read anything set in North Korea and therefore know nothing about really goes on there. I wonder if anyone really does. 'Depressing' is correct I would imagine.
It does sound worth hunting down. I have never read a book set in North Korea.
Susan, that element of the plot was very interesting and suspenseful, and handled pretty well.
Kathy, with as little as is known about North Korea, the plot was handled well and believably, in my opinion. I will looking into some nonfiction to read on that subject.
Cath, I agree, no one outside of North Korea can know exactly what living in North Korea is like. I want to read some memoirs of some people who successfully got out of North Korea, but even that is only one person's experience. D.B. John co-wrote a memoir with a woman who escaped from North Korea at age 17.
Patti, I think the book is very well done. It has made me very curious about North Korea.
If you ever want to read a really good nonfiction book about North Korea I really loved Escape From Camp 14. It's really eye-opening about North Korean society.
Lark, Thanks for that recommendation. I have added Escape from Camp 14 to my wish list, so I won't forget about it.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this!
Constance, I am just sorry it took me so long to get to reading Star of the North. It was a very good reading experience.
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