I loved the book. The first third was tough for me, as I thought it was slow. But I kept going because of all the positive things I had heard about the book. But when it switched between the the only chapters in the book, it really took off. I enjoyed it, and was a little sad when I was done. While I am sure you can read many other reviews about the characters and quality of Adam Johnson’s writing (terrific), one of the things that fascinated me was the insight to daily life in North Korea. I kept thinking, how does he know this to such detail? At the end of the book, in his acknowledgments he mentioned how he spent time there, so there is that answer. Thank you Mr. Johnson, for such a great book and a peek into a culture that’s always fascinated me, albeit for how such awful people could stay in power and how they could brainwash their citizens. Having speakers in every apartment for daily announcements is unreal.