A review by bottomofthebookshelf
The Accusation by Bandi, Deborah Smith

4.0

The Accusation is a collection of short stories written by a dissident writer in North Korea that was smuggled out of the country for the world to see. This was the first piece of writing that was published outside of North Korea that was written by a person still living under the regime. The explanation of how these stories made it out is reason enough to read this collection.

I find myself at a loss of words when reviewing this book. These short stories were unlike anything I’ve ever read. Each tale taught me something I didn’t know about life in North Korea, which was really eye opening. Every story made me feel deeply for the characters and their struggles while also being beautifully written. They portray everything the regime doesn’t want us to know about about life behind their borders, and I think it’s important for stories like these to be heard by as many people as possible if anything is going to change. I’m leaving out one star because I liked some of the stories more than others.

Favourite stories: ‘So Near, Yet So Far’, ‘On Stage’, & ‘The Red Mushroom’

Favourite quote: “...Surely you know that whatever the play, the curtain always falls in the end.”