The Sorcerer of Pyongyang
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Description
'A compulsively readable tale . . . Theroux captures the extraordinary atmosphere of North Korean life with wit and insight' Michael Palin
Growing up in the most isolated country on earth, 10-year-old Cho Jun-su stumbles upon a mysterious game that will change his life forever.
As Jun-su painstakingly deciphers the rules of the game in secret, he unlocks an inner world that is at first an antidote and then a threat to the political cult that surrounds him. Over time, the game leads Jun-su on a spellbinding and unexpected journey through the hidden layers of his country, towards precocious success, glory, love, betrayal, prison, a spell at the pinnacle of the North Korean elite and an extraordinary kind of redemption.
Warm, uplifting, and deeply researched, The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a love story and a tale of survival against the odds.
'Theroux writes with intelligence, compassion and an occasional quiet lyricism . . . [The Sorcerer of Pyongyang] powerfully embodies the plight of North Koreans in the state's vast shadow' Guardian
'Expert, engrossing . . . A cleverly imagined tale of psychic repression and escape from it' Kirkus, starred review
Book Information
Description
'A compulsively readable tale . . . Theroux captures the extraordinary atmosphere of North Korean life with wit and insight' Michael Palin
Growing up in the most isolated country on earth, 10-year-old Cho Jun-su stumbles upon a mysterious game that will change his life forever.
As Jun-su painstakingly deciphers the rules of the game in secret, he unlocks an inner world that is at first an antidote and then a threat to the political cult that surrounds him. Over time, the game leads Jun-su on a spellbinding and unexpected journey through the hidden layers of his country, towards precocious success, glory, love, betrayal, prison, a spell at the pinnacle of the North Korean elite and an extraordinary kind of redemption.
Warm, uplifting, and deeply researched, The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a love story and a tale of survival against the odds.
'Theroux writes with intelligence, compassion and an occasional quiet lyricism . . . [The Sorcerer of Pyongyang] powerfully embodies the plight of North Koreans in the state's vast shadow' Guardian
'Expert, engrossing . . . A cleverly imagined tale of psychic repression and escape from it' Kirkus, starred review