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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
Of all the unlucky hands someone could get in life, this guy got the unluckiest. Do not read if you’re faint of heart, a truly harrowing and brave tale of survival in the face of life’s worst horrors.
sad
fast-paced
After his Korean father is convinced that returning to Korea from Japan will benefit him and his family, Masaji Ishikawa is thrust into a whole new life that brings unimaginable hardship, tragedy, and trauma. Whittled down to a desire to simple survive the horrors of living as a citizen of North Korea in the 1970s through much of the 1990s, Ishikawa details his personal experience under Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il up through his escape from North Korea and a look at the aftermath of that escape.
Translated by Risa Kobayashi and Martin Brown, this personal account shares harrowing details that dig into the horrific mistreatment of the people of North Korea. Despite being a memoir, A River in Darkness maintains a comfortable pace and structure, the central conflict of the "story" being Ishikawa's struggle to survive and avoid a death at the hands of North Korea. While this latter concept is not addressed so specifically, the particular kind of grief Ishikawa relates around the deaths of loved ones who died while living in North Korea is evident in his descriptions and helps to illustrate his desire not just to live a typical lifespan, but to deny North Korea and its leadership ownership of the cause of his eventual death. Insofar as a memoir can have a plot, A River in Darkness achieves it with this conflict and with stakes no higher, it makes for a highly compelling read that is all too real.
Ishikawa visits themes of authority, loyalty, family, what it means to love, and more. Though few of these are philosophized on at length, the stories Ishikawa tells easily builds a foundation for the reader to think on these subjects in the context of the book.
While the story is fascinating, some of the prose could have been more compelling. As this is a translation, it's entirely possible that some of the more literary elements of the book are left out in favor of clarity. I wished for something a little more in the way of the style which otherwise often felt fairly clinical (though, to be fair, this is a reasonable style approach given the subject matter). Consequently, I can't say that this is necessarily or strictly a fault of the book and is more about my personal preferences.
With few books similar to Ishikawa's, it's certainly an invaluable account of living in North Korea, particularly in the earlier days of its recent governmental structure. It's a short enough read that it's worth the time a reader might spend with it to better understand what conditions in North Korea are like and to understand Ishikawa as an individual.
Translated by Risa Kobayashi and Martin Brown, this personal account shares harrowing details that dig into the horrific mistreatment of the people of North Korea. Despite being a memoir, A River in Darkness maintains a comfortable pace and structure, the central conflict of the "story" being Ishikawa's struggle to survive and avoid a death at the hands of North Korea. While this latter concept is not addressed so specifically, the particular kind of grief Ishikawa relates around the deaths of loved ones who died while living in North Korea is evident in his descriptions and helps to illustrate his desire not just to live a typical lifespan, but to deny North Korea and its leadership ownership of the cause of his eventual death. Insofar as a memoir can have a plot, A River in Darkness achieves it with this conflict and with stakes no higher, it makes for a highly compelling read that is all too real.
Ishikawa visits themes of authority, loyalty, family, what it means to love, and more. Though few of these are philosophized on at length, the stories Ishikawa tells easily builds a foundation for the reader to think on these subjects in the context of the book.
While the story is fascinating, some of the prose could have been more compelling. As this is a translation, it's entirely possible that some of the more literary elements of the book are left out in favor of clarity. I wished for something a little more in the way of the style which otherwise often felt fairly clinical (though, to be fair, this is a reasonable style approach given the subject matter). Consequently, I can't say that this is necessarily or strictly a fault of the book and is more about my personal preferences.
With few books similar to Ishikawa's, it's certainly an invaluable account of living in North Korea, particularly in the earlier days of its recent governmental structure. It's a short enough read that it's worth the time a reader might spend with it to better understand what conditions in North Korea are like and to understand Ishikawa as an individual.
While reading, I was continually struck by the author's lucidity and powerful use of language. Not only because he had had little formal education, but because it set such a stunning contrast with the story's (his life's) unremitting deprivation and loss. Deeply, powerfully sad, this book is a howl of anguish in a harsh wind.
This true story drips with bitterness and loss. Eye-opening and worthy of attention.
Holy crap. This plaintive, plainly written memoir is gut-wrenching. I'm heartbroken for this man, and for the millions more still starving and suffering in North Korea.
It's the unexpected details that get you, sometimes, and for me it was the detail about how they were required to plant their rice seedlings. I just can't get over it.
It's the unexpected details that get you, sometimes, and for me it was the detail about how they were required to plant their rice seedlings. I just can't get over it.
Riveting story
The author’s story is both compelling and horrifying, written in very simple language - which adds to the overall accessibility. The book is short and covers a lot of ground. It also ends on an impossibly frustrating note - I wish there had been some greater context or guidance for those who might be interested in helping.
The author’s story is both compelling and horrifying, written in very simple language - which adds to the overall accessibility. The book is short and covers a lot of ground. It also ends on an impossibly frustrating note - I wish there had been some greater context or guidance for those who might be interested in helping.
Eye-opening account of life in North Korea. It's a quick read, not necessarily easy due to the subject matter.
"It suggested we could reorganize the world, hew out a career for ourselves, and be the masters of our destiny. This was laughable, of course, but that’s always the way with totalitarian regimes. Language gets turned on its head. Serfdom is freedom. Repression is liberation. A police state is a democratic republic. And we were “the masters of our destiny.” And if we begged to differ, we were dead."
This memoir was a look at North Koreans through the eyes of a half Korean/Half Japanese man. He spent his childhood living in Japan, where Korean like his father were second class citizens. After being promised paradise by moving his family to North Korea, Ishikawa's South Korean father agreed to move to a land he'd never known, let alone even visited. The family quickly discovered he had been duped and fed a handful of lies. But getting out alive was not possible for most family members.
[b:A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea|34663135|A River in Darkness One Man's Escape from North Korea|Masaji Ishikawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501540597s/34663135.jpg|55829735] is a memoir full of despair, bitterness, and unending pain. I felt deeply depressed after finishing it.
A River in Darkness was a detailed first person account of what it was like to live in this secretive nation. I think I just wanted a broader overview of the history of Korea and the factors that created it to be what it is today. I also wanted a resolution, which life doesn't always hand us. This is no fault of the author, who is not a trained writer. I just felt unresolved and left wanting to know more about Korea, both North and South.
This memoir was a look at North Koreans through the eyes of a half Korean/Half Japanese man. He spent his childhood living in Japan, where Korean like his father were second class citizens. After being promised paradise by moving his family to North Korea, Ishikawa's South Korean father agreed to move to a land he'd never known, let alone even visited. The family quickly discovered he had been duped and fed a handful of lies. But getting out alive was not possible for most family members.
[b:A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea|34663135|A River in Darkness One Man's Escape from North Korea|Masaji Ishikawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501540597s/34663135.jpg|55829735] is a memoir full of despair, bitterness, and unending pain. I felt deeply depressed after finishing it.
A River in Darkness was a detailed first person account of what it was like to live in this secretive nation. I think I just wanted a broader overview of the history of Korea and the factors that created it to be what it is today. I also wanted a resolution, which life doesn't always hand us. This is no fault of the author, who is not a trained writer. I just felt unresolved and left wanting to know more about Korea, both North and South.
Will make you think
This book is a heartbreaking tale of suffering, loss, and hopelessness. It is about the life of a young man, and how he came to live in and escape from, North Korea. He writes about his first impressions, his experiences, and how he made his escape. Masaji’s story made my heart ache because his writing is so clear and vivid. It was a difficult story to read because it is all true, and still happening today. This is an excellent read, and I would highly recommend it to everyone, as it tells an amazing story of survival, heartbreak, and loss. I hope it gains international acclaim, and the plight of the North Korean people becomes more widely known and understood. I believe based on this account that what is going on in North Korea is every bit as terrible as those events surrounding the Holocaust. This book will change you.
This book is a heartbreaking tale of suffering, loss, and hopelessness. It is about the life of a young man, and how he came to live in and escape from, North Korea. He writes about his first impressions, his experiences, and how he made his escape. Masaji’s story made my heart ache because his writing is so clear and vivid. It was a difficult story to read because it is all true, and still happening today. This is an excellent read, and I would highly recommend it to everyone, as it tells an amazing story of survival, heartbreak, and loss. I hope it gains international acclaim, and the plight of the North Korean people becomes more widely known and understood. I believe based on this account that what is going on in North Korea is every bit as terrible as those events surrounding the Holocaust. This book will change you.