Jia, by Hyejin Kim

A novel that is based on the life of a young woman met by the author during a one-year stay in China doing humanitarian work near the North Korean border. Having just read two harrowing memoirs about coming of age in North Korea, it seemed awkward to be reading a novel about similar circumstances, but I think it was because the voice of the narrator felt startling in comparison to the other two books, both by men. Jia is the daughter of a dancer of high-class NK pedigree (by NK standards) and...