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The Limits Of The World
Pyongyang, North Korea, 2011.
In a city full of lies one man seeks the truth.
In Kim Jong-il s North Korea, Han, a lonely guide to foreign tourists, is rapidly ascending the party ranks and appears to be a model citizen. But when he is drawn into a secret underground book group by the enigmatic Mae, Han knows that in a country ruled by fear and suspicion - where lovers and neighbours denounce each other - it is only a matter of time before his double life is discovered by the ruthless Party elite. With no one else to turn to, he must do the unthinkable: risk his life by putting his trust in two undercover Western journalists trying to expose the regime, before the brutal realities of North Korean life catch up with him.
In a city full of lies one man seeks the truth.
In Kim Jong-il s North Korea, Han, a lonely guide to foreign tourists, is rapidly ascending the party ranks and appears to be a model citizen. But when he is drawn into a secret underground book group by the enigmatic Mae, Han knows that in a country ruled by fear and suspicion - where lovers and neighbours denounce each other - it is only a matter of time before his double life is discovered by the ruthless Party elite. With no one else to turn to, he must do the unthinkable: risk his life by putting his trust in two undercover Western journalists trying to expose the regime, before the brutal realities of North Korean life catch up with him.
272 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 6, 2020
When I saw this book I just had to pick it up. A thriller set in North Korea? Definitely. Talk about unique.
The story centres around Han, a 28 year old mid-level party member, who has recently moved to the capital to work in communications, which consists of running tours for foreigners. We are introduced to Ben and Hal a investigative documentary duo who pose as tourists to get the real story on the world’s most secretive country. Han takes them to all the places he’s directed to, mainly things and places that demonstrate the country’s military prowess or show the greatness of their almost god-like leader. This is a country that has been brainwashed on a national scale for generations. Everyone has to be seen to be supporting/respecting the party and the great leader, otherwise they’ll get thrown in jail or possibly executed. So neighbours and family members, even lovers, inform on each other. It’s Stasi Germany on steroids with extra starvation. I often found myself shaking my head at how messed up things are in that country.
Which makes for a great setting for a thriller. The characters are well drawn and the paranoia & food shortages are placed front & centre. The finale rockets along with the fate of Han’s father, 10 years previously, also explained. But I found the build up a little slow. I was also expecting a bit more tension in general, so in that sense there’s the slight feeling of a missed opportunity. Otherwise it would have been full marks. Definitely a must read for the subject matter.
The story centres around Han, a 28 year old mid-level party member, who has recently moved to the capital to work in communications, which consists of running tours for foreigners. We are introduced to Ben and Hal a investigative documentary duo who pose as tourists to get the real story on the world’s most secretive country. Han takes them to all the places he’s directed to, mainly things and places that demonstrate the country’s military prowess or show the greatness of their almost god-like leader. This is a country that has been brainwashed on a national scale for generations. Everyone has to be seen to be supporting/respecting the party and the great leader, otherwise they’ll get thrown in jail or possibly executed. So neighbours and family members, even lovers, inform on each other. It’s Stasi Germany on steroids with extra starvation. I often found myself shaking my head at how messed up things are in that country.
Which makes for a great setting for a thriller. The characters are well drawn and the paranoia & food shortages are placed front & centre. The finale rockets along with the fate of Han’s father, 10 years previously, also explained. But I found the build up a little slow. I was also expecting a bit more tension in general, so in that sense there’s the slight feeling of a missed opportunity. Otherwise it would have been full marks. Definitely a must read for the subject matter.
July 30, 2015
"I’m so insignificant, sometimes when I get up in the morning and look in the mirror I don’t expect to see myself there.”
This sentence conveys the candid despair the author has generated throughout this book.
Living under a dictatorship, Han’s remote existence in North Korea would seem inexplicable to the outside world where we have every freedom, including owning our choice of literature and not having a narrow selection imposed upon us.
Absolutely nothing we take for granted exists in the world Han lives in, being unable to speak his mind and living in constant fear of being reported to the authorities for doing so. The entire population is looking over its shoulder; while trying to convince their neighbour of their loyalty to the party and their ‘Glorious Leader’, another neighbour is enduring starvation. Yet suffering is kept under wraps by a controlling government to convince outsiders that all is rosy.
The fragile relationships that are forged by ministry official Han with his own neighbour, Mae, and the foreign journalists posing as ‘tourists’ – English Ben and American Hal, were perfectly honed. Han is confident in his work as a guide to the foreign tourists visiting his country, yet nervous of his emotions. As his character evolves, he’s learns to trust people for the first time since the death of his parents, and also to love.
With every word capturing the essence of fear and control, The Limits of the World offers a powerful snapshot of a place where no one would dare volunteer to carry the torch of hope. That is, until a ‘compliant’ citizen grasps the courage to dream and expose the awful truth, whatever the consequences.
This story is one that will stay with me - memorable and highly recommended.
(My sincere thanks to Cargo Publishing for providing a paperback review copy of this book for review.)
This sentence conveys the candid despair the author has generated throughout this book.
Living under a dictatorship, Han’s remote existence in North Korea would seem inexplicable to the outside world where we have every freedom, including owning our choice of literature and not having a narrow selection imposed upon us.
Absolutely nothing we take for granted exists in the world Han lives in, being unable to speak his mind and living in constant fear of being reported to the authorities for doing so. The entire population is looking over its shoulder; while trying to convince their neighbour of their loyalty to the party and their ‘Glorious Leader’, another neighbour is enduring starvation. Yet suffering is kept under wraps by a controlling government to convince outsiders that all is rosy.
The fragile relationships that are forged by ministry official Han with his own neighbour, Mae, and the foreign journalists posing as ‘tourists’ – English Ben and American Hal, were perfectly honed. Han is confident in his work as a guide to the foreign tourists visiting his country, yet nervous of his emotions. As his character evolves, he’s learns to trust people for the first time since the death of his parents, and also to love.
With every word capturing the essence of fear and control, The Limits of the World offers a powerful snapshot of a place where no one would dare volunteer to carry the torch of hope. That is, until a ‘compliant’ citizen grasps the courage to dream and expose the awful truth, whatever the consequences.
This story is one that will stay with me - memorable and highly recommended.
(My sincere thanks to Cargo Publishing for providing a paperback review copy of this book for review.)
April 6, 2015
“Stunning, thrilling journey into modern North Korea. For fans of Alone in Berlin and Child 44.”
I haven't heard of this writer before, but this book was simply stunning. I've always been fascinated by North Korea but I haven't really seen any fiction set there before.
It's about a government minder, Han, who chaperones foreign tourists round the capital, but he's got a secret love for banned books and longs to escape the country. Enter two Western journalists posing as tourists, who both have their own recent traumas, which are brilliantly portrayed. Particularly Ben, the English journalist. Hal the American cameraman too.
When Han gets involved with a woman who brings him into a secret book group, Han has to decide whether to trust her, or if she's setting him up. Which sounds a little done-before. What elevates it all is Drennan's prose which is simply stunning. Han is one of the most interesting characters I've read, and th eonly thing I could compare this to is Alone in Berlin, but it's still its own thing. It's clearly well-researched, but it's woven softly and naturally into the story.
I was thrilled, on the edge of my seat, and have already recommended this to several friends. I hope to hear more from this young writer. So refreshing to see someone take a chance and do something truly original.
Highly recommended. I think this book could be huge.
(for clarity, I received this book as a free proof from a bookseller as the book wasn't published at the time. I have however since bought a copy from Waterstones)
I haven't heard of this writer before, but this book was simply stunning. I've always been fascinated by North Korea but I haven't really seen any fiction set there before.
It's about a government minder, Han, who chaperones foreign tourists round the capital, but he's got a secret love for banned books and longs to escape the country. Enter two Western journalists posing as tourists, who both have their own recent traumas, which are brilliantly portrayed. Particularly Ben, the English journalist. Hal the American cameraman too.
When Han gets involved with a woman who brings him into a secret book group, Han has to decide whether to trust her, or if she's setting him up. Which sounds a little done-before. What elevates it all is Drennan's prose which is simply stunning. Han is one of the most interesting characters I've read, and th eonly thing I could compare this to is Alone in Berlin, but it's still its own thing. It's clearly well-researched, but it's woven softly and naturally into the story.
I was thrilled, on the edge of my seat, and have already recommended this to several friends. I hope to hear more from this young writer. So refreshing to see someone take a chance and do something truly original.
Highly recommended. I think this book could be huge.
(for clarity, I received this book as a free proof from a bookseller as the book wasn't published at the time. I have however since bought a copy from Waterstones)
February 15, 2017
This book opened my eyes to how little I knew about North Korea (which is to a degree unsurprising as it's a secretive society), and there were points where it raised issues that are becoming just as relevant in Western society with the rise of "fake news" and "alternative facts". The exposition and description of the society and geography seem to have taken precedence over the plot, as it's fairly predictable and too easily resolved and lacks tension where the main characters are concerned as a result. Even though I don't have first hand experience of life in a North Korea, and I know it's a notoriously difficult regime, I don't doubt the people living there are as three dimensional or ambiguous or emotionally complex as anyone else, and the portrayal of it as being the equivalent of a dystopian society from a book (the comparisons with 1984 were apt yes, but repetitiveness made them too on-the-nose) rather than a real place lessened the impact of the book (I nominated it for my Book Group because I wanted to see if others felt this way). This resolved itself towards the end, but not enough for me to give four stars.
February 25, 2023
I have read all of Andrew Raymond’s other novels and really enjoyed them all. This book however was, for me, in a different league - a totally different style of writing and a story that tugs on the heart strings. I really felt an empathy with the characters - especially Han. I would definitely recommend it. The descriptions of life in North Korea brought to life the harshness and suffering experienced. - and I would love to have been able to watch Jack and Bens film!
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January 3, 2021A fascinating tale of a society which has always intrigued me, but which I know very little about. The story and the characters make us consider how we live our lives both individually and as part of a nation and world-wide species. A great read, especially for lovers of George Orwell's '1984'.
December 24, 2025
Loved this book- it really picked up the pace and there were some nail biting moments! Terrifying insight to a closed off world.
April 6, 2015
This well-researched and beautifully-written novel deserves, or needs, to be read. Drennan's protagonist, Han, takes the reader into the secretive society that is North Korea and opens our eyes - not only to the harsh realities of life under the regime but also to the strength and beauty of the human spirit even in such an oppressive society.
The politics highlighted by the novel are important, the themes of love and loneliness are sensitively and thoughtfully explored, the characters are believable and the story gripping. Would Han's western novels be discovered? Was the underground book group a set-up? Was Mae to be trusted? Could, or would, Ben and Hal, the undercover Western journalists, be able to help? Could the regime's account of what had become of Han's family be believed, and would he find out the truth? Would Han end up, as he had started when the reader first meets him driving into Pyongyang after ten years in the countryside, alone?
With North Korea flitting in and out of news broadcasts and freedom of speech possibly more topical than ever, this novel was particularly appealing to me. The novel's attraction, however, lies in much more than its unusual setting. Drennan's characters are particularly well-observed and not one of them is extraneous. Each individual in the novel comes with his or her own story which subtly unfolds to the reader, and each one gives cause for empathy or reflection. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough to lovers of fiction; whether you like to be completely absorbed and carried along by an exciting plot, to admire the author's prose and wonder at the way he makes you visualise a place few people from 'the Real World' have ever seen, or whether you want your novels to make you think; about yourself, about what it is to be alone, about the importance of books, of freedom of expression and the need to love and be loved.
The Limits Of The World does all this and more.
The politics highlighted by the novel are important, the themes of love and loneliness are sensitively and thoughtfully explored, the characters are believable and the story gripping. Would Han's western novels be discovered? Was the underground book group a set-up? Was Mae to be trusted? Could, or would, Ben and Hal, the undercover Western journalists, be able to help? Could the regime's account of what had become of Han's family be believed, and would he find out the truth? Would Han end up, as he had started when the reader first meets him driving into Pyongyang after ten years in the countryside, alone?
With North Korea flitting in and out of news broadcasts and freedom of speech possibly more topical than ever, this novel was particularly appealing to me. The novel's attraction, however, lies in much more than its unusual setting. Drennan's characters are particularly well-observed and not one of them is extraneous. Each individual in the novel comes with his or her own story which subtly unfolds to the reader, and each one gives cause for empathy or reflection. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough to lovers of fiction; whether you like to be completely absorbed and carried along by an exciting plot, to admire the author's prose and wonder at the way he makes you visualise a place few people from 'the Real World' have ever seen, or whether you want your novels to make you think; about yourself, about what it is to be alone, about the importance of books, of freedom of expression and the need to love and be loved.
The Limits Of The World does all this and more.
October 1, 2015
Taking place near the end of the Kim jun-Il era in North Korean, Comrade Han is a newly appointed officer of the DPRK's propaganda department tasked with guiding two western tourists and demonstrating the glory and excellence of the North Korean government. However, the westerners are hiding a secret: they're two accomplished journalists seeking to cap off a solid career of in-the-field reporting with an exposé on North Korea's totalitarian grip on its citizens. But Han is hiding a secret as well: a hidden kernel of dissent toward the NK government and distrust of the "Dear Leader".
A little bit "1984" and a little bit Cold War spy novel, "The Limits of the World" does an amazing job of building the North Korean world that Han lives in. It is obvious that Drennan did a significant amount of research into North Korea and the myriad of secret, strange happening of the secretive government. But Drennan also does a wonderful job creating believable western journalists, cribbing the VICE magazine archetype to give us two gonzo style journalists trying to infiltrate and expose the DPRK from the inside.
Honestly, the book feels tailor-made for a movie option and I wouldn't be surprised to hear some company picking up the rights in the near future.
[Review from an advance copy provided by NetGalley]
A little bit "1984" and a little bit Cold War spy novel, "The Limits of the World" does an amazing job of building the North Korean world that Han lives in. It is obvious that Drennan did a significant amount of research into North Korea and the myriad of secret, strange happening of the secretive government. But Drennan also does a wonderful job creating believable western journalists, cribbing the VICE magazine archetype to give us two gonzo style journalists trying to infiltrate and expose the DPRK from the inside.
Honestly, the book feels tailor-made for a movie option and I wouldn't be surprised to hear some company picking up the rights in the near future.
[Review from an advance copy provided by NetGalley]
November 9, 2015
This book really opened my eyes to the politics of North Korea, tackling important and topical subjects in an emotional and intelligent way, thanks to the depth of the characters. To paint such a vivid picture of such a secretive society made this a fascinating read and the pace of the story kept me gripped till the last page. Ultimately the writer captures what it means to be human - the themes of love, loss and loneliness explored in sensitive, never sentimental, ways. An important story which deserves to be read!
January 27, 2016
Probably a 4.5 star book. I have gone under rather than over because at times it is in danger of veering too close to cliche. Absolutely fascinating though and a terrific read too.
The loneliness and isolation of not knowing who you can trust, in an environment where anyone else can benefit from denouncing you, is a really good tense setting for a novel.
The loneliness and isolation of not knowing who you can trust, in an environment where anyone else can benefit from denouncing you, is a really good tense setting for a novel.
July 29, 2015
This is a "must read" kind of book. I really don't think that I have to say anything other than you must read this book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews