This was a very good book but not an easy book to read. It is a book about loyalty and suffering. It is about the stories that make up a life, the stories that ultimately define us whether they're true or not. Set in North Korea, it is hard to come to terms with what at first seems like hyperbole, the sinking feeling that comes with the suspicion that maybe things really are that bad. It's about the human need for connection and love, and the ultimate sacrifice one can make for another.