Set in North Korea in the recent past when Kim Jong iI reigned supreme, this Pulitzer Fiction Prize winner is the harrowing story of Jun Do, who lives his life at the mercy of the oppressive communist regime. This is a regime where the government’s messages are tirelessly drilled into the citizenry through propaganda broadcasts and the citizens must perform the roles the state expects them to fulfil – a regime where any suspicion of insubordination or disloyalty can lead to death, prison or torture or indeed all three! Not surprisingly, Jun Do goes from being an instrument of the state — including kidnapping people on official orders and eavesdropping on foreign radio transmissions — to becoming one of its victims, finding himself in the notorious Prison 33 for no apparent reason. At times heartbreakingly sad, at times hilarious, I found this is a hugely rewarding read.