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The Defections

Author:
Publisher: , 2014
Link to online store *

Seoul, South Korea

Mia is an outsider. Half-English, half-Korean, a translator at the British Embassy; she treads a boundary between her roots and the acceptance she desires from the English – especially her boss, Thomas: a married diplomat.

Thomas’s career is jeopardized by an outrageous indiscretion until Mia comes to his rescue. At first grateful, his feelings are soon complicated by a commission to investigate the background of the woman who has captivated him.

Hyun-min is a defector from North Korea, taken in by Mia’s family. But he has a secret. One that could shatter Mia’s family, her life and the fragile borders around them all.

Source: publisher’s website

LKL says:

A family drama that turns into a spy thriller, set at the time of the 2008 beef protests and something very similar to the Cheonan incident. The novel is so rich with ideas that you wonder if the author has used up her store of inspiration. We do hope not.

LKL rating: score-2score-2score-2score-2score-1. Read our review of this book here.

External links:

* Where the book is available from a number of sources, they are prioritised as follows: (1) Amazon UK site, or Bookshop.org for the more recent uploads (2) Amazon US site (3) Other sites in US or Europe, including second-hand outlets (4) LTI Korea, where the title is advertised as available from there (5) Onlines stores in Korea. Links to Bookshop.org and Amazon UK site contain an affiliate code which, should you make a purchase, gives a small commission to LKL at no additional cost to you.