I liked this novel a lot, but I have a feeling that I would have enjoyed it more in print form rather than audiobook. There was great writing and research on display here, and a few techniques that did not serve audio well. For example, sometimes I thought I missed an entire event or plot point only for it to be revealed a little later and I felt less lost but it was frustrating in that in-between time to feel like I missed something important when I really didn't.

This story is truly a great learning-through-fiction experience. I've read things about North Korea in terms of articles over the years, but Johnson does something quite incredible in creating characters who are living in that dictatorship. Thankfully Johnson also injects humor throughout, and I found myself smiling occasionally, though it never quite lets you forget how awful it all must be.