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The Last Exiles
A young couple fights for survival in 1990s North Korea. Despite their disparate upbringings, poor Jin and privileged Suya fall in love while attending university in Pyongyang. They plan to wed despite their differences, but their plans are thwarted when, on a trip home to his famine-ravaged rural town, Jin is arrested for stealing a sack of cornmeal—and sentenced to life in prison. But Jin stages a daring escape and makes his way to China, where he expects to find safety but soon discovers the troubles of his homeland’s authoritarian regime are not so easily left behind. Though these events unfolded barely twenty years ago, Shin’s urgent debut set during Kim Jong-Il’s reign is a perfect fit for historical fiction fans; it sent me rushing to Google to read more about the real events depicted on the page.
About the Book
“A thought-provoking, poignant and unflinching novel.” —Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee
An unforgettable saga inspired by true events, The Last Exiles is a searing portrait of a young couple in Pyongyang and their fight for love and freedom
Jin and Suja meet and fall in love while studying at university in Pyongyang. She is a young journalist from a prominent family, while he is from a small village of little means. Outside the school, North Korea has fallen under great political upheaval, plunged into chaos and famine. When Jin returns home to find his family starving, their food rations all but gone, he makes a rash decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, miles away, Suja has begun to feel the tenuousness of her privilege when she learns that Jin has disappeared. Risking everything, and defying her family, Suja sets out to find him, embarking on a dangerous journey that leads her into a dark criminal underbelly and tests their love and will to survive.
In this vivid and moving story, award-winning filmmaker Ann Shin offers a rare glimpse at life inside the guarded walls of North Korea and the harrowing experiences of those who are daring enough to attempt escape. Inspired by real stories of incredible bravery, The Last Exiles is a stunning debut about love, sacrifice and the price of liberty.
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