Scan barcode
A review by lfinkenkeller
The Last Exiles by Ann Shin
3.0
The story focuses on a young couple who meet in college in the 1990's in North Korea. Suja is from an upper middle class family from Pyonyang, and Jin is from a poor northern province who is only at college because he is on a scholarship. Jin gets arrested when he steals a bag of cornmeal for his family on a school break. He is beaten and put in Yodok Prison for life! He escapes to China.
When Suja hears of Jin's escape, she sets off for China to find Jin. Suja ends up being sold as a wife for a Chinese man, but she miraculously escapes and finds Jin. This story seemed very realistic until the ending. What are the chances of two people finding each other in China?
I thought In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park was more realistice especially about what happened to women trying to escape from North Korea into China, and I felt more empathy for Yeonmi because this was her true story. However, in the write up about the book, it says the story was inspired by true events.
When Suja hears of Jin's escape, she sets off for China to find Jin. Suja ends up being sold as a wife for a Chinese man, but she miraculously escapes and finds Jin. This story seemed very realistic until the ending. What are the chances of two people finding each other in China?
I thought In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park was more realistice especially about what happened to women trying to escape from North Korea into China, and I felt more empathy for Yeonmi because this was her true story. However, in the write up about the book, it says the story was inspired by true events.