A review by bookishfoxes
The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea by Bandi

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a very interesting read. The moment I saw this book in a video recommending books from all over the world, I knew I needed to read it. Which is interesting because this is definitely out of my usual reading comfort.

Reading these stories felt like reading a dystopian book and every time I had to remind myself that while fictional, these were all based on real life situations.

I normally don't enjoy short stories very much, I've often struggled getting through collections, so it was very surprising that this book was easy to read for me and I never lost interest.

The last 3 stories weren't as strong as the first ones, the endings felt a bit confusing, as if I missed some information.

Then the afterword interested me a lot. Almost my favorite part of this book.

I definitely recommend reading this book!


Ratings per chapter:
Record of a Defection - 4
City of Spectors - 4.5
Life of a Swift Steed - 4.25
So Near, Yet So Far - 5
Pandemonium - 3.75
On Stage 3.75
The Red Mushroom 3
Afterword: 4.75