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megannnnreads99 's review for:
A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea
by Masaji Ishikawa
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
The book is not an easy read but certainly very well-written from a first hand North Korean defect experience. I have read so much about North Korea from journalists written books who interviewed North Korea defects, so I had some sort of expectations on what to expect with the experience Masaji was about to share. But reading this book from his first person narration hit even harder and I felt more difficult to read through because I feel like I am there listening in person and I felt the pain in his words.
I sympathize so much with Masaji. He already did not have the best childhood as a kid, and was forced to move to North Korea because of his father at the age of 13. He suffered a lot with his family and being forced to be the lowest of the lowest because of his half Japanese status, which was despised by not only the government, but also the people. Once he successfully escaped from North Korea with much obstacles and difficulties - I was holding my breath when reading the parts on his escape process and thank goodness everyone who helped him escape was very nice to him (and no North Korean spies), he still struggled to find his identity in Japan and was discriminated because he hadn’t lived in Japan for over 30 years. Most importantly, his family wasn’t there with him - at least as of the end of this book, we don’t know if he ended up reuniting with his family. This book is written 25 years ago. This man suffered for almost his entire life. I don’t know how he is now, but I hope he is doing better, if not, slightly.
I sympathize so much with Masaji. He already did not have the best childhood as a kid, and was forced to move to North Korea because of his father at the age of 13. He suffered a lot with his family and being forced to be the lowest of the lowest because of his half Japanese status, which was despised by not only the government, but also the people. Once he successfully escaped from North Korea with much obstacles and difficulties - I was holding my breath when reading the parts on his escape process and thank goodness everyone who helped him escape was very nice to him (and no North Korean spies), he still struggled to find his identity in Japan and was discriminated because he hadn’t lived in Japan for over 30 years. Most importantly, his family wasn’t there with him - at least as of the end of this book, we don’t know if he ended up reuniting with his family. This book is written 25 years ago. This man suffered for almost his entire life. I don’t know how he is now, but I hope he is doing better, if not, slightly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence