A River in Darkness (Ishikawa)
Earlier this year, Amazon ran a promotion for twelve (specific) free ebooks from writers around the world. A River in Darkness was one of them, and the first one I indulged in. It tells the life story of Masaji Ishikawa, first growing up in post-war Japan being half-Korean. Life was difficult enough until the Koreans brought over during the war are promised a better way of like in the newly-created country of North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Il-sung.
The promises didn't work out, as one might have expected.
What follows are the hardships for his family as he grows into manhood, and then for his own family. North Korea was not a happy place to be, but don't dare say that. Everything is poorly run by the government, but you participate the way the government tells you, even if it means all the crops will fail. But hard work isn't rewarded. Just expected.
The book opens with a grown Ishikawa standing on the banks of the river across from China, contemplating escape, knowing that he'd likely be shot, if he didn't drown.
As the story unfolds and we finally get to that point, we know that he is leaving his children behind to make this escape, hopeful that someday, somehow, he can get to Japan and get his children out of North Korea.
The fact that this book was written tells you that he managed to escape, but don't expect a happy ending. Although it was published in 2000, it was translated in 2017 and contains an epilogue. It doesn't really get happier and leaves you feeling sorry for his remaining children.
Note: read this early in the summer, but I've been away from writing in the blog. I've already forgotten many of the details, particularly names, which, oddly, was the main point of my starting my reading journal, years before it became a blog.
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