A River in Darkness is the memoir of Ishikawa's childhood starting in Japan, how he ended up in North Korea, his subsequent life there, and finally his escape. Told in simple, straightforward prose, the story is stark and powerful in its depiction of famine, desperation, and complete hopelessness.
This book contains a lot of details on what it's like to live in North Korea, especially as a half-Japanese. It's both fascinating to get an inside look at the secretive hermit kingdom, as well as horrifying to see the atrocities that the government commits against its people through the years of endless famine.
Ishikawa's bitterness towards his life in North Korea is visceral and heart-breaking. His feelings of resentment and regret permeate this book. Even after he escapes, there is no happy ending for him. In the end, this is a sharply haunting look at life in North Korea, and the despair that drove one man to risk everything to get out.
Readaroo Rating: 3 stars
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