A review by scarafaggy
A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.25

I was born not just once but five times. And five times I learned the same lesson. Sometimes in life, you have to grab your so-called destiny by the throat and wring its neck.

A straightforward (but nevertheless heartbreaking) account of a man's time in North Korea. The author's writing is extremely effective in conveying his pain and desperation without being too overwhelming. However, the instances where he chooses to be graphic (see the bark cake bit) serve as a reminder that he is holding much more back.

I’m sorry. You didn’t need to know that. Except you did. It’s the only thing that shows how desperate we were.

If readers are already shocked by the details he has chosen to share, we can only imagine what true horrors he and his family have experienced. An educational and harrowing read.
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