There’s a story in The Accusation about faking emotion: crying when we’re happy, laughing when we’re sad. Under such a system as North Korea, all emotions are either muted or exaggerated. In the same vein, and for the same reasons, the writing style of The Accusation
also veers between muted or exaggerated melodrama, but what else can one expect from a society that represses or fakes emotion? I didn’t come into these stories expecting literature as much as a window into North Korean life. The Accusation is important not because of its literary merits, but because it exists as an act of rebellion against the horror of the North Korean regime. It’s crazy that North Korea exists, and The Accusation exists to show us that.
The Accusation by Bandi went on sale March 7, 2017.
I received a copy free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.