How I Became a North Korean (A Novel)

 

 

Krys Lee is an assistant professor of creative writing at Underwood International College whose novel 'How I Became a North Korean' was recently published in the United States and the United Kingdom. HIBANK is inspired by her accidental activism and friendships with North Korean defectors. In particular, the time she spent setting up a safe house in China ignited her outrage at humanitarians who abuse power and fueled her desire to pay homage to survivors.

 

The novel begins in Pyongyang but takes place in the Chinese border area, where the three protagonists bring their turbulent pasts into the dangerous present. HIBANK is a story about identity and citizenship, the plight of North Korean refugees, China’s immoral stance on human rights, and the moral grey areas of the missionary culture. It is also a meditation on love, friendship, and faith.

 

HIBANK was one of the season’s most anticipated novels, and U.K.’s The Guardian mentioned it as a contender for the Man Booker Prize. The Miami Herald calls HIBANK “intense and unforgettable,”the New York Times, “eloquently draws attention to issues of displacement, loss and identity”; and Library Journal says it “should further elevate her [Lee’s] reputation as one of the most elegant, impeccable voices of her youthful generation.” HIBANK will be featured in the prestigious New York Times Sunday Book Review in September. BBC Radio 4’s program Front Row, The U.K.’s Guardian, the LA Times, and the upcoming Australia’s ABC radio’s Books and Arts program also interviewed Lee about her writing and her life.