The Defections

by Hannah Michell

Seoul, South Korea.

Mia is an outsider. The child of an English mother, she defies the rigid expectations of her Korean stepmother to work as a translator at the British Embassy.

Her uncle runs a charitable – and controversial – school for North Korean defectors, and prevails upon Mia’s stepmother to shelter a traumatised young student. Mia is too preoccupied to note the defector’s strange behaviour – or its implications.

She has become infatuated with Thomas, a diplomat with a self-destructive streak. When a outrageous indiscretion endangers his position, it is Mia who saves him from humiliation and rescues his career. And the boundaries between them are crossed.

As a reward for his reformation, Thomas is commissioned to audit security amongst Embassy staff. Learning of Mia’s connections to the defector, he is compelled to dig deeper into the life of the woman who has captivated him.

Suddenly, all that Mia has done to get close to Thomas begins to cause her undoing.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 24, 2013

About the author

Hannah Michell is a writer and lecturer based in Berkeley and is the author of The Defections (Quercus, 2014). Her short stories and essays have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Mslexia and the Asian Review of Books. Hannah teaches at UC Berkeley in the Asian American Studies program.

Reviews

[Cathy Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every page

[Rachel Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book. A great insight into the struggles North Koreans experience after escaping to a South they think will be welcoming and easy, as well as the differences in how Seoul looks to an outsider and an insider and the struggles of living as someone who belongs in two places and none, especially in a city where everyone conforms to fit in.

Tons of complex themes going on here, but the plot is driven by characters, not exploration of abstract ideas, which seems to be more common in books that cover so many complex issues. It's also unusual in that it's a great insight into another country but from so many different perspectives - I feel like this book allows us to understand much more of the realities of life in modern Seoul than any book speaking solely from the perspective of lifelong, South Korean residents would have.

Especially fascinating as I've lived in Seoul myself and I felt like the book not only touched on many things I recognised, but explained them in greater detail than I'd ever understood previously.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so badly. I was so excited to read it. It has the whole feel of a city at night when the police sirens go off and their red and blue light is reflected in the street puddles.

But it just fell so flat I couldn’t even finish it. It is a bland and unlived book, full of characters that act only when and as required for the sake of plot, and who don’t seem like fully realized individuals so much as stitched together collections of traits and motivations. The dialogue strains credulity at times and too often lacks subtext, and the descriptions are- aside from a nice turn of phrase every so often- trying a bit too hard to be noirish and dramatic, so they tip into melodrama. Michell withholds parts of her characters’ backstory for suspense but ought to just say so, outright- it’s needless enticement if the reader.

A book like this needs an author who is willing to be an anthropologist- in my edition the author’s note reads that she would like to present a different and more nuanced version of Seoul than what is commonly given- but Michell isn’t it. She doesn’t take the time to situate her book within the larger story of the Korean Peninsula nor show us, through careful description and worldbuilding, the significance of her characters’ subject positions within it. So as a result I don’t feel like I gained really, at any point, more understanding other than politics re: North Korea are difficult, South Korea used to be much more repressed, and nobody looks kindly on outsiders. The world building is colorless and without specifics, when it should have been a stand out; Seoul and the British Embassy are featureless set pieces where characters are moved about rather than actual places where people live.

There’s so very little blood here, so very little visceral emotion. Perhaps I’ll give it another go later- but not for a while.

[Elizabeth Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book on so many levels as I could relate to so much - the work and staff of British Embassies, living in Seoul, and cross cultural relationships as well as an interest in the rights and experiences of North Korean defectors. Certain elements of the language used by the diplomats didn't quite ring true, but it was close enough for the layman to get the gist.

The central character, Mia is the daughter of an English mother and a Korean father - but I feel that as this combination is relatively rare, it needed more of an insight into how she met Mia's father and what led her to that situation (especially since the tiny hint as to her later circumstances don't really match the speculation as to her earlier circumstances). There is definitely room for a prequel on the lives of Mia's mother and father.

One paragraph in particular struck home vividly from my experience of communicating in Korean as an English person - where both sides may know the meaning of every word spoken yet understand nothing of what the other actually means. This is at the heart of all the misunderstandings which arise in the book which could just as easily be entitled 'The Misunderstandings' rather than 'The Defections':

"She wanted to believe him. This was another fantasy, a seduction of words. Even after everything, she knew that betrayals were embedded in the language she knew and he did not. There would always be a part of her that he would not understand and would remain hidden from him. She would read meanings in his words that he did not intend and she would live in disappointment when he did not fully grasp the meaning of hers."

[Sharon Mccann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average read. Definitely not a page-turner.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had potential that just wasn’t pursued. Mia is a pretty bland main character who is so underdeveloped I couldn’t even picture her in my head. There were some interesting avenues that weren’t explored enough imo (Like the defectors themselves? Very superficial information was given about their lives for example), at the expense of an affair I really didn’t care for.

[Ken Paterson]

I couldn't make headway with this novel, which is a pity because it looked set to be an interesting experience. The writer is certainly gifted in her use of language, but the characters didn't draw me in.

[Aurélie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malgré un sujet intéressant, j'ai eu du mal à être captivée par cette histoire. L'intrigue sur fond d'espionnage et histoire d'amour étant vraiment poussive.

[Alex Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping - an easy read with excitement

[Geert · Rating 3 out of 5]

At page 51: the British characters are as boring and predictable as British diplomatic staff can be - actually almost cynically so. So far, there hasn't been much of a story either, so: extremely disappointing. Why xid I buy this crap. I'll try for another 50 pages. Sppilers? Nothing to spoil by me, the author already did it.

The strong anglicist accent stays throughout the whole book. Thw actual defectionits small only a small but crucial part. A pity.

[TheSalmaZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and felt it gave me a new perspective to the issues between North and South Korea. Having heard of the conflict, it was easy to assume that the main point of problem was only ever in getting out of the North but I loved how this book opened up my eyes to the other issues such as what to do having escaped the dictatorship.

It was a very interesting read that opened my eyes and for that I'm grateful to it.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

** 2.5 stars **

hrm, this is a tough one. It was an interesting read but I'm not sure that I would say I enjoyed it or loved it.

Notes for book club:
* Belonging, fitting in - The most obvious example are the North Korean Defectors. Even though they look Korean they are identified by the way they dress or when they talk. They have been promised this utopia where food is plentiful and life is happy but they are not happy. They miss home. Mia is like this too. She doesn't fit in with her brown hair and green eyes. She thinks of England as place where she could belong. She is looking for the perfect translation from Korean to English (a way of translating and understand herself?).

* Lack of communication - it seems like no one every really knows anyone. All the characters make assumptions about each other. The cold step mother who pushes her step daughter away because she is foreign (or is it because she has loved and lost a child before?). Thomas agrees to do the security review on Mia because he thinks she has nothing to hide (when she has a lot of connections which will ruin her). Charles seems like a dandy, joking about his job and flirting with Mia (but he actually has a lot of responsibility at work and deeply cares for Mia.) And of course Mia's Dad who doesn't talk at all ever. Who knows what he is feeling and thinking?

* North Korean / South Korean history - I feel like my lack of knowledge of this really let me down while reading. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I had known more. Must research.

* Tunnel - the bit at the end with the tunnel seemed a bit rushed. I guess the author felt it had to build to some sort of climax but almost war between South and North Korea didn't seem convincing. Also, I was a bit confused what Hyun-min had been doing in the tunnel for all those weeks. Had he been delivery letters?

* Thomas was a truly unlikable character with no redeeming features. What was he motivated by?

I may add more before book club.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Defections is the aptly named debut novel from Hannah Michell, set in South Korea, and an original and absorbing read. Everyone in the book is a defector in some sense, everyone has betrayed or been betrayed, and deceit and secrecy is in the very air they breathe. Mia is a young woman working at the British Embassy as a translator. She is the child of an English mother and Korean father, and is treated with suspicion by the Koreans around her. Brought up by her step-mother, who adopted her for reasons that only become clearer later in the book, she is searching for her own place in life. Her uncle runs a school for defectors from North Korea, and Mia finds herself torn between her Korean cultural identity, emblemized by one of the defectors who comes to live with the family, and Thomas, a British official at the Embassy.
The atmosphere of life in Korea is vividly conveyed, as is the plight of the defectors, for whom the betrayal of the land and families they have left behind is a constant source of guilt and regret, and the difficulties of adjusting to life in an alien society hard to overcome. The book is above all about borders, the ones you can cross and the ones you can’t, what can be found on the other side and what remains elusive. As Mia muses, “the fantasies held in crossing borders. The hopes that one pinned on other places. New land brought new struggles. New ambiguities.”
Set against a backdrop of political upheaval, I found this a compelling page-turner, with its gradual uncovering of hidden lives and buried pasts, as much a spy thriller as a family drama, well-constructed, with believable characters and authentic dialogue. An enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

[TC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I entered to win an ARC of this book, drawn to the idea of a book about the tensions between North and South Korea, expecting some political intrigue and drama, and with the added bonus of a female lead character. I was lucky enough to have a copy land on the doormat and dove right in.

The start of the book was a very easy read, introducing Mia Kim, her family, her work at the British Embassy and her love interest, married colleague Thomas. It also established lots of little mysteries about her past, and his. I was well and truly drawn in.

A large part of the book sets up for a dramatic climax in the final third, and in all honesty while I enjoyed uncovering Mia and Thomas's secrets it felt a little pedestrian in the middle third. However when the action really began to ramp up I was pulled right back in.

This was a really good read. Mia makes for an interesting lead, with her past having made her a complex character. She's flawed but you can be sympathetic towards her. Her relationships form the backbone of the book but I loved the intrigue surrounding her family's defector guest and the way events came to a head.

I thought this was well written, interesting without being too challenging and would happily recommend it ( in fact my dad has already borrowed it)

[Anne Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belonging matters in South Korea towards the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, so dual-heritage Mia, with an absent English mother and mute and severely disabled Korean father, is never going to fit in. Bullied at school and, at thirty, still resented by her stepmother for whom Mia’s green eyes and pale skin are a constant reminder of her husband’s transgressions. With a lifetime of unhappiness, Mia has idolised the English, ever grateful for her job as a translator at the British Embassy, and particularly in awe of her boss. But Thomas is not as admirable as he seems. His career and marriage already at risk through his alcohol addiction, complications abound when he becomes both emotionally and strategically entangled with Mia, putting them both in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, Hyun-min, an eighteen-year-old defector from North Korea, is taken in by Mia’s family. When fellow exiles begin to leave letters and packages at the house, addressed to their relatives across the border, suspicions are ignited about the young man’s allegiances in a country not quite as ease with itself as it might pretend.
Review continues http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into places of which I generally have little knowledge. The interesting thing for me was the way the South appears just as mistrusting and just as controlled as the obviously demonised North.

Some good characterisation: The central character Mia appears at times to be helpless, borne along by the forces around her, shunned by many due to her mixed race origin. However, she is clearly also wilful and controlling, at times manoeuvring others into positions, even if those will actually harm her. The relationship between Mia and her stepmother is difficult and we slowly see the recognition of their need for mutual support although I was not completely convinced by Mia's final decision to stay in Seoul. Thomas, the diplomat, is painted as a loser, incapable of fulfilling his promise and caught in a largely loveless marriage (and heaven knows how they ever thought that a diplomat and a top journalist could ever be together harmoniously!)

[John Johnstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not normally my genre, but attracted by the subject matter I decided to curb my need for thrills. As the title suggests the story is about defections, north Koreans going south, but primarily it describes the relationship of Mia, a British embassy translator obsessed with an attractive married diplomat named Thomas. To set up and layout the background of this story takes so long, that only a third remains when you start to get some real action. In this build up we are given an insight into the lives of not only Koreans affected by the division of the country, but also of the diplomats stationed there. With a lot of questions from her childhood unanswered it has left her as an outsider in her own family. Mia tries to overcome this by becoming totally absorbed in her ambition to better herself. Will she succeed in getting the answers she wants?

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mia Kim works as a translator at the British Embassy in Seoul. Both her professional life & personal life are complicated. Having never known her mother, she lives with an unloving stepmother and her invalid father. Mia is the result of an affair between her father & an English woman who she knows nothing of. At the office Mia becomes romantically involved with her boss who is damaged goods. Her uncle runs a school for North Korean defectors, one of whom come to stay in the already crowded and tense little home. All aspects of her life become entangled with the political situation between North & South Korea. A very interesting premise for a plot but the book didn’t hook me. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters & it wasn’t until the very end when the political intrigue came to the fore that I was keen to know what happened next. But certainly not a page-turning thriller

[Giulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect from this book, my version had barely any information and its purchase was just an inconsequential leap of faith at my local library sale in 2021 (an overexcited frenzy after the one the year prior had been cancelled for obvious reasons).
A simple yet complicated story of betrayal, secrets, and silence, lots of silence, which at first seems to bundle up in a confusing mess of plotlines, but that eventually lays down all the cards to reveal that history repeats itself, one way or another, and that every character (never turned into easy clichés) is relevant in their own way.

[Sarah Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book that I wanted to love but I ended up just liking. It was original, at least from the perspective of a Westerner reading it, and didn't paint life as a defector from NK as a fairy tale which I appreciated. The quality was let down be the relationship between Mia and Thomas as I found it too introspective and cliche, but Kyung-ha and Hyun-min were deeply compelling characters who I kept turning the pages to discovering more of It was a bold debut but I believe the author is capable of much better things.

Read my full review at www.fuelledbycheesecake.blogspot.com

[Rebecca Levin · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book- tense and exciting story, believable characters and all written in spare and beautiful prose. Highly recommended.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

An employee at a British embassy saves one of the staff when he commits a career ending indiscretion and gets more than she bargained for.

This book has a very slow pace and some of the descriptions of the diplomat’s action are laughable (in a bad way).

My real rating is 2.5.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I agree with a review which said that the potential war scenario lacked energy, I found the character of Mia completely engaging in and found the insights into Korean contemporary culture fascinating.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Best book I've read all year.