Nam-nyong Paek

What few books we get in the US from North Korea are mostly dissident books, so I was curious to read a state approved novel that's apparently very popular in N. Korea. The story focuses mainly on a judge who is deciding a divorce case; acting more like a detective and a marriage counselor, the judge learns the past of the unhappy couple and seeks a way from them to reconnect, while also examining his own marriage.

There is some blatant political propaganda in Friend, but I was surprised that the judge's arguments were mostly based on what he sees as the ethical duty of a couple to each other. It's an odd take on relationships, but the judge does raise some interesting points.

While I wouldn't call Friend a great novel, it was an interesting look at a very closed culture. I do recommend reading the translator's afterword *before* the book to gain a little background on N. Korean writing.… (more)