The narrative of human tenacity in the face of absolute adversity is one that has always held its own because of the pure, raw sentiment that fuels it. It’s the cornerstone for advertisers (Nike’s You Can’t Stop Us), film-makers across geographies (A quick glance across IMDB’s Top 250 movies is a clear indicator), and seemingly everyone who wants to be an influencer on LinkedIn these days. This narrative, when presented in the written form, however, feels a lot more personal and real, coming straight from the horse’s mouth. It’s what makes memoirs such a compelling read.
One such memoir, A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa, feels like an infinite sequence of being handed the raw deal in life. Every time Ishikawa, a Japanese national forced to move to North Korea, and his family feels like they can put their head up and hope for a normal existence, the fates and the horrors set under Kim Il Sung’s regime have thoughts otherwise. Ever since he could think consciously, Ishikawa has seen nothing but intense hardship, dealing with an abusive father (who reforms himself over his lifetime), being a social outcast due to his origins (NK’s Songbun system which treated him as ‘hostile’), family members’ misfortunes across several events and the system’s failure to ensure they had basic necessities of subsistence in place. (Starvation amongst the common folk was a common theme across Kim Il Sung’s time till his death in ’94). Murphy’s law seems to be everpresent for Ishikawa with the numerous deaths, violence, and distress throughout his life.
For most parts of the book, Ishikawa’s narration goes about as things unfold without going into absolute specifics, and as the reader, you wonder about the reasoning, beyond atrocities committed by the totalitarian regime and unscrupulous fellow residents, as the family is uprooted from their modest lifestyle in Japan to the absolute stark and grim realities of North Korea. (Till this date there is very little documentation of what actually goes on, aided by the strong-arming of media). The last quarter of the book revolves around Ishikawa’s quest to make it out of hell and return to his homeland, in order to secure a better life for his family is absolutely gripping and will render you speechless for most parts of it. The desperation of his escape compels him to perform inhuman tasks and the titular crossing of the river is a remarkable feat on its own. The story ends on an inconclusive note which leaves you wondering about what might have happened (with very little information to follow up on the internet as well, apart from a couple of pieces – no surprises really).
The Read: Quite frankly, starting off, I was just looking at this as a chronicle of the man’s life on a very impersonal level but as I went deeper, the simplicity of Ishikawa’s narration turned out to be a powerful hook. I felt like I was listening to him first-hand, in person, recounting the numerous hardships he had to deal with. You expect him to be disillusioned, furious, and frustrated with his life (a failed attempt at suicide seems like the absolute nadir) and he is. It is what makes the story so personal, making you claw for closure and hope all ends well for Ishikawa and his family. 170 odd pages across 1.5 hours and at the end of the book, I was fairly drained of emotion, such is the endless plight the man is subjected to. I can just hope he found some peace, somewhere at the end of all of this. I can just hope.
2/365.
Trivia: Ishikawa mentions that barbers were highly regarded in North Korea due to their rarity in his lifetime. Let’s trim our hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle was a television program that ran as a part of a North Korean government propaganda campaign specifying grooming and dress standards in men, with only certain hairstyles permitted.
Documentation
Book: A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea
Author: Masaji Ishikawa
Year of Release: 2018 (English), 2000 (Original, translated to Japanese)
Publisher: Amazon Crossing