Title – Star of the North
Author – D. B. John
Published – 10 May 2018
Genre – Thriller
I’m not sure that in a bookshop, poised to part with a few pounds, I might have chosen a thriller set in North Korea, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book – blogging does broaden your horizons!
Set in 2010 the book follows the fortunes of three main characters.
In the US, Jenna Williams, of mixed race (Korean / African-American), is still struggling with the disappearance of her twin sister from South Korea 12 years previously, when she is approached to join the CIA.
In North Korea an elderly peasant woman who has been consigned to a penal colony makes a chance discovery while foraging for food, spurred into action she takes her first steps to escape from the poverty she and her husband have been trapped in.
Finally, also in North Korea, there’s Cho Sang-ho, a rising star in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But the higher you rise the greater the risk…
This book was fascinating on two counts. Firstly it offers an insight into the lives of those living under the North Korean regime – the ‘cult of personality’, the contrast between the lives of the poor majority and the wealth of the leader, as well as some of the macro political issues that face the countries trying to negotiate with the increase in nuclear threat. Although set a few years ago these are issues that seem particularly relevant at the moment. For all the aspects of the book that seem to stretch the reader’s credulity there are some enlightening examples in the Author’s Note at the end of the book which make you think that truth can be stranger than fiction.
It’s also a cracking thriller with the threads of the story converging to provide some tense as well as fast-paced sequences, some surprising twists all balanced by scenes where you learn more about the characters and their backstory. I liked all of the characters, although how much North Koreans might really come to question the “Dear Leader’s” wisdom it’s probably impossible to say. One thing that would have helped my understanding of the story would have been a map of the locations.
Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy. A fascinating setting for a thriller.
Novel Heights 
This one does sound fascinating! And it’s a really intriguing context. Glad you enjoyed it. I may have to look for this one…