The main reason I kept reading this book was because shortly after I started it, Kim Jong Il died, and I thought it was much too timely to put down. Otherwise, I would have given it up before I had reached 100 pages. However, I'm glad I continued with it, because the end is much better than the beginning, which seems to me as if it could have used some more editing, for some things were confusing - about a third of the way in Johnson introduces a new character, telling his own story as well as Jun Do's from a different point of view, and it took me a few pages to catch on.
Anyway, the book tells the story of Jun Do, a young man growing up in North Korea, and without protesting accepting his lot in life: as the son of a cruel man, as a kidnapper, as a spy, finally as an imposter. Jun Do commits terrible acts, yet I couldn't dislike him for some strange reason. There were very few other characters in the book I liked, however, including the ones the reader was supposed to.
I feel as if the book is almost, not quite making fun of North Korea, but yes, it kind of does. At times I can sense condescension in Johnson's tone, but perhaps he was just trying to show condescension from the point of view of his cruel characters, I'm not sure. I imagine he researched before writing, but I was still struck by his lack of compassion at times.
Nevertheless, this is fiction, and if you can get through the first third of the book, you might be entertained by the rest.
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