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Oxford Soju Club
The natural enemy of a Korean is another Korean.
When North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is mysteriously killed in Oxford, his protege, Yohan Kim, chases the only breadcrumb given to him in Doha’s last breath: “Soju Club, Dr. Ryu.” In the meantime, a Korean American CIA agent , Yunah Choi, races to salvage her investigation of the North Korean spy cell in the aftermath of the assassination. At the centre of it all is the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford, owned by Jihoon Lim, an immigrant from Seoul in search of a new life after suffering a tragedy. As different factions move in with their own agendas, their fates become entangled, resulting in a bitter struggle that will determine whose truth will triumph.
Oxford Soju Club weaves a tale of how immigrants in the Korean diaspora are forced to create identities to survive, and how in the end, they must shed those masks and seek their true selves.
When North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is mysteriously killed in Oxford, his protege, Yohan Kim, chases the only breadcrumb given to him in Doha’s last breath: “Soju Club, Dr. Ryu.” In the meantime, a Korean American CIA agent , Yunah Choi, races to salvage her investigation of the North Korean spy cell in the aftermath of the assassination. At the centre of it all is the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford, owned by Jihoon Lim, an immigrant from Seoul in search of a new life after suffering a tragedy. As different factions move in with their own agendas, their fates become entangled, resulting in a bitter struggle that will determine whose truth will triumph.
Oxford Soju Club weaves a tale of how immigrants in the Korean diaspora are forced to create identities to survive, and how in the end, they must shed those masks and seek their true selves.
232 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 307 reviews
May 27, 2025
4 stars for a spy story set in Oxford, England. There are 3 groups of spies: North Koreans, South Koreans, and Americans. I am reminded of the Mad magazine cartoons, Spy vs Spy, only in this story, some people die. The blurb sets the scene:
"When North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is mysteriously killed in Oxford, his protégé, Yohan Kim, chases the only breadcrumb given to him in Doha’s last breath: “Soju Club, Dr. Ryu.” In the meantime, a Korean American CIA agent , Yunah Choi, races to salvage her investigation of the North Korean spy cell in the aftermath of the assassination. At the centre of it all is the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford, owned by Jihoon Lim, an immigrant from Seoul in search of a new life after suffering a tragedy. As different factions move in with their own agendas, their fates become entangled, resulting in a bitter struggle that will determine whose truth will triumph."
Jihoon Lim is not a spy, but the spies use his restaurant to meet. There several twists and turns in this spy story, much of which is a character study. I enjoyed reading this book. I recommend it to fans of character description vs spy books.
I liked the ending.
Thank You Dundurn Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#OxfordSojuClub #NetGalley.
Pub Date Sep 30 2025
"When North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is mysteriously killed in Oxford, his protégé, Yohan Kim, chases the only breadcrumb given to him in Doha’s last breath: “Soju Club, Dr. Ryu.” In the meantime, a Korean American CIA agent , Yunah Choi, races to salvage her investigation of the North Korean spy cell in the aftermath of the assassination. At the centre of it all is the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford, owned by Jihoon Lim, an immigrant from Seoul in search of a new life after suffering a tragedy. As different factions move in with their own agendas, their fates become entangled, resulting in a bitter struggle that will determine whose truth will triumph."
Jihoon Lim is not a spy, but the spies use his restaurant to meet. There several twists and turns in this spy story, much of which is a character study. I enjoyed reading this book. I recommend it to fans of character description vs spy books.
I liked the ending.
Thank You Dundurn Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#OxfordSojuClub #NetGalley.
Pub Date Sep 30 2025
March 30, 2025
(⭐2.75)
I feel so bad I didn't understand most of this :(
☕︎ 1. Characters
It was really quite difficult to keep track of who was who. I wasn't entirely sure whose perspective I was following, due to the rapid and numerous POV changes. I didn't really feel anything for the characters other than ummm I think his name was Jihoon? I felt really bad for him towards the end. And when the reveal about his mother was dropped, I actually felt myself tear up. It was incredibly difficult to keep track, though, which made it hard for me to gain sympathy for these characters.
🍸✧ 2. Plot
I don't actually understand much of what happened, which is 100% on me. It's completely my fault, I didn't have any prior knowledge that helped me navigate the plot. I feel so bad that I didn't get any of it, but the plot was really hard to follow and understand for me, an Australian teenage girl.
The real mystery to me was what the freak I was reading 😭
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 3. Final Thoughts
I definitely think someone who has any sort of previous/prior knowledge about Korean history would definitely enjoy this one more than I did. It wasn't a bad read overall, I just failed to understand it. I felt like the personification of the saying "She's a little confused, but she's got the spirit" 😭🙏
I really couldn't tell you what I just read, except for a cast of Korean spies, secret agents and restaurant owner get up to some eerie shenanigans.
★彡🌿 pre-read:
just received the ARC for this intriguing read! thank you so much to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for a free e-copy in exchange for my review 💕 Oxford Soju Club releases on the 30th September, 2025!
I feel so bad I didn't understand most of this :(
☕︎ 1. Characters
It was really quite difficult to keep track of who was who. I wasn't entirely sure whose perspective I was following, due to the rapid and numerous POV changes. I didn't really feel anything for the characters other than ummm I think his name was Jihoon? I felt really bad for him towards the end. And when the reveal about his mother was dropped, I actually felt myself tear up. It was incredibly difficult to keep track, though, which made it hard for me to gain sympathy for these characters.
🍸✧ 2. Plot
I don't actually understand much of what happened, which is 100% on me. It's completely my fault, I didn't have any prior knowledge that helped me navigate the plot. I feel so bad that I didn't get any of it, but the plot was really hard to follow and understand for me, an Australian teenage girl.
The real mystery to me was what the freak I was reading 😭
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 3. Final Thoughts
I definitely think someone who has any sort of previous/prior knowledge about Korean history would definitely enjoy this one more than I did. It wasn't a bad read overall, I just failed to understand it. I felt like the personification of the saying "She's a little confused, but she's got the spirit" 😭🙏
I really couldn't tell you what I just read, except for a cast of Korean spies, secret agents and restaurant owner get up to some eerie shenanigans.
★彡🌿 pre-read:
just received the ARC for this intriguing read! thank you so much to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for a free e-copy in exchange for my review 💕 Oxford Soju Club releases on the 30th September, 2025!
October 1, 2025
A spy story like you haven’t read before.
What do a South Korean coffee owner, a North Korean spy and a Korean-American CI agent? They are all trying to fit into the world, struggling to balance between their cultural roots, the new environment they are living in, their jobs and the person behind it all.
I was expecting this one to be so different that it was. I’m saying this as the biggest praise: I thought I was getting an action packed book focused on plot with little to none character growth, and I got a character-driven story with constant action happening in the background. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this before.
I don’t want to spoil much because getting to know the characters is half the fun. It’s especially interesting that you don’t really know how much of what they are thinking it’s what they should do for the sake of the job, and how much is what they actually want to do. I spent the book not knowing if they would betray the organizations they were working for, if they were misleading me or withdrawing vital information.
At the same time, that suspense was part of the reason why I didn’t connect with them as much as I wanted to, especially the North Korean agent, Yohan Kim. I felt I didn’t know him, which was nice because I was curious, but also made me not care as much for what was happening to him. My favorite was the one owner of the coffee shop because he seemed genuine, simply telling us his life story and the reason behind his grief.
Oxford Soju Club is one of those books that’s sad but also has light, so it doesn’t let you be quite angry at the author. I read it a couple days ago and I feel nostalgic when I think about it, which feels amazing because I can’t remember a book that made me feel that way. I mourn what could have been, but I’m also hopeful about what could have happened. I keep wishing for a different endgame while I admit the ending the author crafted felt realistic and suited the story.
Overall, I picked up Oxford Soju Club looking for something different and it was delivered. I haven’t read anything like it before and I enjoyed the experience. It was addicting and easy to read, and you’ll be following spies in a way you don’t often do.
In fact, from the other ARC reviews I’ve read, those who didn’t love this were expecting a ‘normal’ spy book, focused on action. This one is not. I think the last line in the blurb describes it quite well what you’ll be getting:
Oxford Soju Club weaves a tale of how immigrants in the Korean diaspora are forced to create identities to survive, and how in the end, they must shed those masks and seek their true selves.
I would recommend it if you are interested in that.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What do a South Korean coffee owner, a North Korean spy and a Korean-American CI agent? They are all trying to fit into the world, struggling to balance between their cultural roots, the new environment they are living in, their jobs and the person behind it all.
I was expecting this one to be so different that it was. I’m saying this as the biggest praise: I thought I was getting an action packed book focused on plot with little to none character growth, and I got a character-driven story with constant action happening in the background. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this before.
I don’t want to spoil much because getting to know the characters is half the fun. It’s especially interesting that you don’t really know how much of what they are thinking it’s what they should do for the sake of the job, and how much is what they actually want to do. I spent the book not knowing if they would betray the organizations they were working for, if they were misleading me or withdrawing vital information.
At the same time, that suspense was part of the reason why I didn’t connect with them as much as I wanted to, especially the North Korean agent, Yohan Kim. I felt I didn’t know him, which was nice because I was curious, but also made me not care as much for what was happening to him. My favorite was the one owner of the coffee shop because he seemed genuine, simply telling us his life story and the reason behind his grief.
Oxford Soju Club is one of those books that’s sad but also has light, so it doesn’t let you be quite angry at the author. I read it a couple days ago and I feel nostalgic when I think about it, which feels amazing because I can’t remember a book that made me feel that way. I mourn what could have been, but I’m also hopeful about what could have happened. I keep wishing for a different endgame while I admit the ending the author crafted felt realistic and suited the story.
Overall, I picked up Oxford Soju Club looking for something different and it was delivered. I haven’t read anything like it before and I enjoyed the experience. It was addicting and easy to read, and you’ll be following spies in a way you don’t often do.
In fact, from the other ARC reviews I’ve read, those who didn’t love this were expecting a ‘normal’ spy book, focused on action. This one is not. I think the last line in the blurb describes it quite well what you’ll be getting:
Oxford Soju Club weaves a tale of how immigrants in the Korean diaspora are forced to create identities to survive, and how in the end, they must shed those masks and seek their true selves.
I would recommend it if you are interested in that.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 19, 2025
I admit it. I got hopelessly lost with the audio version, so referred to the print version. However, since there are no dates included, it didn't help.
The basic storyline appears to be about a
N Korean cell working in Oxford to ... I'm not sure what ... but they are being chased by Americans (to get them to defect) and other North Koreans (to eliminate them due to regime change) and maybe other people (but I'm probably wrong about that).
Each person seems to have a real name, a pseudonym and a code or mission name. The action jumps about all over the place- I think one character died 4 times.
However, as the preface tells us, this book is not really about spies, it is about being an immigrant and having to use different personas to try to be your true self. The author says he has used assimilation, rejection and being the model majority to fit in but none of them worked.
So my advice is to read the book as if you were reading someone's autobiography and see how they change, by use of different characters, throughout. If you think of it as a spy book then you'll, no doubt, end up bewildered.
I still think that dates would have helped with the irritation factor but the premise of the novel does explain why the Police in Oxford never turned up to any shootings or high speed chases around its dreaming spires.
The narration was nicely done by Jason Vu. Not to overly dramatic and a good clear voice. Just how I like it.
Thankyou to Netgalley, Dundurn Press and Dreamscape Media for the audio and ebook advance review copies. Most appreciated.
The basic storyline appears to be about a
N Korean cell working in Oxford to ... I'm not sure what ... but they are being chased by Americans (to get them to defect) and other North Koreans (to eliminate them due to regime change) and maybe other people (but I'm probably wrong about that).
Each person seems to have a real name, a pseudonym and a code or mission name. The action jumps about all over the place- I think one character died 4 times.
However, as the preface tells us, this book is not really about spies, it is about being an immigrant and having to use different personas to try to be your true self. The author says he has used assimilation, rejection and being the model majority to fit in but none of them worked.
So my advice is to read the book as if you were reading someone's autobiography and see how they change, by use of different characters, throughout. If you think of it as a spy book then you'll, no doubt, end up bewildered.
I still think that dates would have helped with the irritation factor but the premise of the novel does explain why the Police in Oxford never turned up to any shootings or high speed chases around its dreaming spires.
The narration was nicely done by Jason Vu. Not to overly dramatic and a good clear voice. Just how I like it.
Thankyou to Netgalley, Dundurn Press and Dreamscape Media for the audio and ebook advance review copies. Most appreciated.
September 6, 2025
An espionage novel that rides the line between literary novel and thriller. There are thrills to be had, plenty of violence, but it's much more concerned with discovering who its characters are and slowly opening them up to the reader.
The character we're most concerned with is Yohan, a North Korean spy in Oxford, whose mentor Doha has just been killed. Who came after Doha and why is the central question of the book, and it's a whole bunch of spywork to get there. North Koreans, South Koreans, and Korean-Americans all find themselves in Oxford, most of them spying on each other. But sometimes it feels like they aren't really working against each other, that their shared Korean-ness is something more connective than their national loyalties.
The book has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, but it cares about the way these characters connect, who they are and what they care about. Thriller readers may find it a bit too meditative if they are just in it for the twists.
There are multiple points of view, and those multiple POVs change part way through the novel. In addition, there are multiple timelines within the multiple POVs. This was a bit hard to follow in the book, but not in a way that detracted, just a way that makes you work a little bit as twisty novels often do. But I would not recommend doing this on audio, the shifts from one time and character to another would get quite confusing.
The character we're most concerned with is Yohan, a North Korean spy in Oxford, whose mentor Doha has just been killed. Who came after Doha and why is the central question of the book, and it's a whole bunch of spywork to get there. North Koreans, South Koreans, and Korean-Americans all find themselves in Oxford, most of them spying on each other. But sometimes it feels like they aren't really working against each other, that their shared Korean-ness is something more connective than their national loyalties.
The book has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, but it cares about the way these characters connect, who they are and what they care about. Thriller readers may find it a bit too meditative if they are just in it for the twists.
There are multiple points of view, and those multiple POVs change part way through the novel. In addition, there are multiple timelines within the multiple POVs. This was a bit hard to follow in the book, but not in a way that detracted, just a way that makes you work a little bit as twisty novels often do. But I would not recommend doing this on audio, the shifts from one time and character to another would get quite confusing.
April 1, 2025
Oxford Soju Club is an engaging and intricate tale that explores themes of immigrants, identity, and the tension between North Koreans, South Koreans, and Americans. At its core, the book delves into the lives of various characters whose identities are often clouded by aliases, secretive motives, and shifting allegiances.
The initial confusion stemming from characters’ various pseudonyms, nonlinear storytelling, and the alternating points of view can make it difficult to follow.
However, the novel’s depiction of spies and CIA agents offer a great tense and suspenseful atmosphere. The stakes feel high, and the portrayal of political and cultural dynamics between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States adds a unique depth to the story.
Overall, I recommend this book to those interested in espionage, international politics, and the search for personal identity amid global tensions.
The initial confusion stemming from characters’ various pseudonyms, nonlinear storytelling, and the alternating points of view can make it difficult to follow.
However, the novel’s depiction of spies and CIA agents offer a great tense and suspenseful atmosphere. The stakes feel high, and the portrayal of political and cultural dynamics between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States adds a unique depth to the story.
Overall, I recommend this book to those interested in espionage, international politics, and the search for personal identity amid global tensions.
November 1, 2025
I finished this book in one go, as I'm spending a lot of time home these days. It's a debut novel written by a Canadian-Korean author that I happen to follow in social media, both for his pow on political developments in S.Korea some time ago as well as for his book reviews.
I wouldn't call this book a spy book, although it tells a spy story. It's more a story of immigrants, fitting in and escaping from places....
There are a lot of flashbacks, or rather, the story is not told chronologically. I saw some people complain about that and I'm really surprised. In my opinion, the switch back and forth made the storytelling more dynamic and was a good tool to discover the different stories of the main characters. I guess I'm getting old, but I find some readers a bit lazy. I hope I'm not offending anyone. 😊
I wouldn't call this book a spy book, although it tells a spy story. It's more a story of immigrants, fitting in and escaping from places....
There are a lot of flashbacks, or rather, the story is not told chronologically. I saw some people complain about that and I'm really surprised. In my opinion, the switch back and forth made the storytelling more dynamic and was a good tool to discover the different stories of the main characters. I guess I'm getting old, but I find some readers a bit lazy. I hope I'm not offending anyone. 😊
June 5, 2025
So you're saying I can only be your friend if I reject who I am?
Oxford Soju Club, set in early 2012 in the aftermath of the death of Kim Jong-il, is both a spy thriller and an exploration of Korean immigrant identity, as the author explain in a foreword:
On the surface, Oxford Soju Club is about a Korean American CIA agent, a North Korean spy, and a South Korean restaurateur engaged in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game in Oxford. It is a metaphor in one part about the ruthless competition between Korean immigrants that I’ve experienced. But this story is also about the way in which immigrants wear different masks to hide their true identities for survival. Each character represents the different masks I have worn as a Korean immigrant — the one who tries to assimilate, the one who tries to be the model minority, and the one who rejects all of the above and tries to be Korean.
The spy story itself - which opens in media res with the junior of two North Korean agents in Oxford finding his superior bleeding to death in an alley - is rather over-dramatic and not terribly plausible, and really not my literary taste, but the novel fares better in its second guise, particularly the story of pretty much the only character in the novel who actually goes by their real name and isn't suddenly trying to murder the other characters, Jihoon who runs the eponymous restaurant:
The Soju Club is the only Korean restaurant in the city, and that alone is a draw for many. When he first stepped foot in Oxford, he found it strangely empty, particularly in comparison to Seoul, Busan, or even Sacheon, the seaside town his mother is from. Back in Seoul there would be three fried chicken places, five noraebangs, six Korean barbeque joints, and even two plastic surgery offices, all in one block. From what he saw, Oxford had no buildings higher than three storeys. The transit was inconvenient at best and, on an average day, frustrating enough to induce cancer, as his mother would often say when irritated.
And while the story races forward in the present-day of the novel, and the bodies pile up (rather oddly given that they've all seemingly known of each others existence for some time), we also get flash backs to the past of the various characters involved - a Korean-American who works for the CIA, two North Korean spies, and Jihoon himself:
The day before the exam, Jihoon comes home from a long day of practice tests. He feels ready. When he arrives his mother has a small table out with a soju bottle and two small glasses. He sits right across from her, setting his bag down next to him He has never had a drink in his life. He has heard of his more carefree classmates going out to bars that secretly serve under-age drinkers. The convenience store he works at stocks various brands. The most famous one, Chamiseul, the green bottle with the toad logo in the upper corner, is the one in front of Jihoon.
The novel, to its credit, focuses sympathetically on the North Korean spies (a South Korean agent, who is the only one unknown to everyone else, is, if anything the villain of the piece), although it's perhaps a bit disappointing in that regard that they are all disillusioned with the regime - a character loyal to the Dear Leader would have made for an interesting perspective.
More interesting as a character study and exploration of the Korean dispora than a spy thriller - 2.5 stars..
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC.
Oxford Soju Club, set in early 2012 in the aftermath of the death of Kim Jong-il, is both a spy thriller and an exploration of Korean immigrant identity, as the author explain in a foreword:
On the surface, Oxford Soju Club is about a Korean American CIA agent, a North Korean spy, and a South Korean restaurateur engaged in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game in Oxford. It is a metaphor in one part about the ruthless competition between Korean immigrants that I’ve experienced. But this story is also about the way in which immigrants wear different masks to hide their true identities for survival. Each character represents the different masks I have worn as a Korean immigrant — the one who tries to assimilate, the one who tries to be the model minority, and the one who rejects all of the above and tries to be Korean.
The spy story itself - which opens in media res with the junior of two North Korean agents in Oxford finding his superior bleeding to death in an alley - is rather over-dramatic and not terribly plausible, and really not my literary taste, but the novel fares better in its second guise, particularly the story of pretty much the only character in the novel who actually goes by their real name and isn't suddenly trying to murder the other characters, Jihoon who runs the eponymous restaurant:
The Soju Club is the only Korean restaurant in the city, and that alone is a draw for many. When he first stepped foot in Oxford, he found it strangely empty, particularly in comparison to Seoul, Busan, or even Sacheon, the seaside town his mother is from. Back in Seoul there would be three fried chicken places, five noraebangs, six Korean barbeque joints, and even two plastic surgery offices, all in one block. From what he saw, Oxford had no buildings higher than three storeys. The transit was inconvenient at best and, on an average day, frustrating enough to induce cancer, as his mother would often say when irritated.
And while the story races forward in the present-day of the novel, and the bodies pile up (rather oddly given that they've all seemingly known of each others existence for some time), we also get flash backs to the past of the various characters involved - a Korean-American who works for the CIA, two North Korean spies, and Jihoon himself:
The day before the exam, Jihoon comes home from a long day of practice tests. He feels ready. When he arrives his mother has a small table out with a soju bottle and two small glasses. He sits right across from her, setting his bag down next to him He has never had a drink in his life. He has heard of his more carefree classmates going out to bars that secretly serve under-age drinkers. The convenience store he works at stocks various brands. The most famous one, Chamiseul, the green bottle with the toad logo in the upper corner, is the one in front of Jihoon.
The novel, to its credit, focuses sympathetically on the North Korean spies (a South Korean agent, who is the only one unknown to everyone else, is, if anything the villain of the piece), although it's perhaps a bit disappointing in that regard that they are all disillusioned with the regime - a character loyal to the Dear Leader would have made for an interesting perspective.
More interesting as a character study and exploration of the Korean dispora than a spy thriller - 2.5 stars..
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC.
September 27, 2025
The Oxford Soju Club was such a thrilling action packed spy mystery that unfurled perfectly as the book went along. There is such a tight focus on a handful of characters that are on a crash course set for each other.
The way the author (and the narrator because I listened to the audiobook version) kept my attention was really impressive. When I started the book I was slightly lost, especially during the many flashback scenes, but my trust was quickly rewarded.
I do not want to give any spoilers so I will be generic but also say this is as much about spies as it is about the ties that bind us. Identity and family are such strong themes that enrich the story and take the reader (or listener) to go deeper.
This book also just gets better and better as you go further. As I started I thought, this will probably be a 3 or 4 for me. I am happy to say I had no choice but to give it a 5. If you want a thriller that has a lot of depth, you will not be disappointed!
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for the advance review audiobook copy. This was my first NetGalley review and I was blown away!
I would recommend if you like:
Espionage
Learning more about other cultures
Characters with raw emotion
The mystery to get more complex as the story unfolds
Depth to your fiction. It will make you think deeper about your own ties in life
Good twists that keep you guessing
I would caution you if:
Want your mysteries more straightforward
Want more warmth from your main characters
Want to shut your brain off and not feel while deeply at times
Want a cozy mystery, this is so well done, but not a cozy mystery
Don’t like flashbacks
The way the author (and the narrator because I listened to the audiobook version) kept my attention was really impressive. When I started the book I was slightly lost, especially during the many flashback scenes, but my trust was quickly rewarded.
I do not want to give any spoilers so I will be generic but also say this is as much about spies as it is about the ties that bind us. Identity and family are such strong themes that enrich the story and take the reader (or listener) to go deeper.
This book also just gets better and better as you go further. As I started I thought, this will probably be a 3 or 4 for me. I am happy to say I had no choice but to give it a 5. If you want a thriller that has a lot of depth, you will not be disappointed!
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for the advance review audiobook copy. This was my first NetGalley review and I was blown away!
I would recommend if you like:
Espionage
Learning more about other cultures
Characters with raw emotion
The mystery to get more complex as the story unfolds
Depth to your fiction. It will make you think deeper about your own ties in life
Good twists that keep you guessing
I would caution you if:
Want your mysteries more straightforward
Want more warmth from your main characters
Want to shut your brain off and not feel while deeply at times
Want a cozy mystery, this is so well done, but not a cozy mystery
Don’t like flashbacks
March 15, 2025
This is a very difficult book to review without spoilers because let's just say every character I cared about died, so this review will be brief. I liked the idea of a literary spy thriller where spies all congregate at a Korean restaurant in Oxford, and I really liked the title, but ultimately this didn't work for me as a story.
This book tells the story of an American spy whose Korean parents worked at a bagel shop in New Jersey, a North Korean spy who is having doubts, and a South Korean spy who are all investigating each other in Oxford. The most interesting part of this was using the spy element as a conceit to explore the many layers of Asian immigrant identity, and I loved Jihoon, whose mother wanted him to go to university but his dream was to work at a restaurant with her.
But the spy thriller took up most of the book and as a thriller I found it boring and underwhelming, with a jagged pace and confusing time jumps. I almost DNF'ed a few times but I pushed through because it was such a quick read. I think a longer length and quicker pacing on the thriller elements would have done these characters more justice. I guess I should have known because I didn't like The Sympathizer either and this is very similar.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book tells the story of an American spy whose Korean parents worked at a bagel shop in New Jersey, a North Korean spy who is having doubts, and a South Korean spy who are all investigating each other in Oxford. The most interesting part of this was using the spy element as a conceit to explore the many layers of Asian immigrant identity, and I loved Jihoon, whose mother wanted him to go to university but his dream was to work at a restaurant with her.
But the spy thriller took up most of the book and as a thriller I found it boring and underwhelming, with a jagged pace and confusing time jumps. I almost DNF'ed a few times but I pushed through because it was such a quick read. I think a longer length and quicker pacing on the thriller elements would have done these characters more justice. I guess I should have known because I didn't like The Sympathizer either and this is very similar.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 11, 2025
Set in Oxford, we meet three different characters, all spies, whose stories are all interlinked. A North Korean, a South Korean and a Korean American.
When Doha, a spy master is killed, his partner must find out who did it and why. Theres new leadership and a feeling that they’re being picked off one by one 👀
There’s one thing bringing them all together - the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford.
Cue a cat and mouse game between them all for their identities to not be revealed and to win the race to survive. Who will be exposed, what secrets will be uncovered and who will live to tell the tale?
There’s also a thought provoking underlying message from the author around what it is to be Korean and the challenges faced to establish an identity which runs throughout the story.
I really enjoyed this, a quick read with a few twists and turns along the way. Pretty good for a debut novel!
When Doha, a spy master is killed, his partner must find out who did it and why. Theres new leadership and a feeling that they’re being picked off one by one 👀
There’s one thing bringing them all together - the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford.
Cue a cat and mouse game between them all for their identities to not be revealed and to win the race to survive. Who will be exposed, what secrets will be uncovered and who will live to tell the tale?
There’s also a thought provoking underlying message from the author around what it is to be Korean and the challenges faced to establish an identity which runs throughout the story.
I really enjoyed this, a quick read with a few twists and turns along the way. Pretty good for a debut novel!
September 28, 2025
I was excited to read The Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park because the premise was irresistible: a North Korean spymaster is killed in Oxford, his protégé chases a cryptic last clue, and a single Korean restaurant becomes the crossroads for CIA agents, double lives, and old tragedies. The Soju Club itself feels vivid on the page, full of steam, clatter, and hidden tension. Park’s line that “the natural enemy of a Korean is another Korean” gives the story a sharp edge. But as the characters multiply—each with their own motives and timelines—I often felt like I was taking notes just to keep everyone straight instead of simply enjoying the ride.
The book shines in its cultural detail and its exploration of identity, showing how people build masks to survive and how hard it is to take them off. But it sits in a tricky spot between spy thriller and literary immigrant drama. The deep dives into class and loss slow down the pacing, while the thriller elements push for speed. It’s smart and layered but sometimes overstuffed, leaving its characters a bit emotionally distant just when you want to feel closer to them. This makes it a book you admire more than you lose yourself in.
The audiobook narration by Jason Vu is very well done. He handles the many voices and accents with ease, and his steady pacing keeps the tension from becoming confusing. Listening may have made the plot easier to follow, though I still think the print version might be clearer for keeping track of timelines. In the end, for me, The Oxford Soju Club is a three-star read: a thoughtful book with a great premise and excellent narration, but one whose ambition sometimes overshadows its clarity.
The book shines in its cultural detail and its exploration of identity, showing how people build masks to survive and how hard it is to take them off. But it sits in a tricky spot between spy thriller and literary immigrant drama. The deep dives into class and loss slow down the pacing, while the thriller elements push for speed. It’s smart and layered but sometimes overstuffed, leaving its characters a bit emotionally distant just when you want to feel closer to them. This makes it a book you admire more than you lose yourself in.
The audiobook narration by Jason Vu is very well done. He handles the many voices and accents with ease, and his steady pacing keeps the tension from becoming confusing. Listening may have made the plot easier to follow, though I still think the print version might be clearer for keeping track of timelines. In the end, for me, The Oxford Soju Club is a three-star read: a thoughtful book with a great premise and excellent narration, but one whose ambition sometimes overshadows its clarity.
November 11, 2025
A change of pace mystery set in Oxford (England). “Who are they” becomes a more urgent question than “whodunit.” Jinwoo Park’s first novel is expertly crafted using a conservation of words to move a plot at pace with the readers’ quest. At the same time, it’s a win for readers with any interest in Korean culture.
May 12, 2025
This book's blurb is giving Spy Thriller meets Dark Academia, and the book itself serves I Spy Interior Chinatown in Oxford. The key thing about this book is laid bare in the author's foreword. It is always a bit concerning when an author feels the need to take you by the hand and explain what exactly the book is meant to be, but in a book as tonally bizarre and confusing as this one, it at least gives some sense of clarity.
Nominally, this is a spy thriller following a North Korean, an American and a South Korean spy rings in Oxford, all centred on a small Korean restaurant called the Soju Club, run by a South Korean immigrant with no connection to spying. In reality, this is a slightly Avant Garde take on Korean identity, cycling through the 'good immigrant', the 'dutiful son' and other moulds governing different, conflicting and overlapping ideas of Koreanness away from (South) Korea. I put South there, as despite North Koreans being at the centre of the narrative, it is pretty clear that the book is not trying to say anything about real life in North Korea. The entire narrative feels artificial, fake, theatrical. I don't think it is intended to be taken seriously as a thriller, and it certainly does not work as such. It is difficult to get invested into any of the characters or their stories, as they are all meant to be different avatars of the same person - the author. Tonally and thematically, it reads quite similar to the intentional theatricality of Interior Chinatown, and it feels like it has the aspirations, but not the gravitas, to be something like The Specters of Algeria by Yeo Jung Hwong, a novel I also didn't quite get but appreciated much more than this one.
The North Korean storyline, in particular, was quite dull, as all three driving characters in it were disillusioned with the regime, and not even in their own specific and peculiar ways. That really flattened the narrative, making it feel completely divorced from anything interesting the author might have intended to say about Southern perceptions of North Korea, if not North Korea itself.
In short, this really wasn't my thing.
Nominally, this is a spy thriller following a North Korean, an American and a South Korean spy rings in Oxford, all centred on a small Korean restaurant called the Soju Club, run by a South Korean immigrant with no connection to spying. In reality, this is a slightly Avant Garde take on Korean identity, cycling through the 'good immigrant', the 'dutiful son' and other moulds governing different, conflicting and overlapping ideas of Koreanness away from (South) Korea. I put South there, as despite North Koreans being at the centre of the narrative, it is pretty clear that the book is not trying to say anything about real life in North Korea. The entire narrative feels artificial, fake, theatrical. I don't think it is intended to be taken seriously as a thriller, and it certainly does not work as such. It is difficult to get invested into any of the characters or their stories, as they are all meant to be different avatars of the same person - the author. Tonally and thematically, it reads quite similar to the intentional theatricality of Interior Chinatown, and it feels like it has the aspirations, but not the gravitas, to be something like The Specters of Algeria by Yeo Jung Hwong, a novel I also didn't quite get but appreciated much more than this one.
The North Korean storyline, in particular, was quite dull, as all three driving characters in it were disillusioned with the regime, and not even in their own specific and peculiar ways. That really flattened the narrative, making it feel completely divorced from anything interesting the author might have intended to say about Southern perceptions of North Korea, if not North Korea itself.
In short, this really wasn't my thing.
October 24, 2025
Came for the espionage but got attached to the characters then they died :'-(((((((((((
Yohan is an orphaned spy trained from young by two mentors, both of whom are supposedly serving North Korea. Their enemies aren't just the Americans but also South Koreans. The spy network and each organisation's respective goals aren't made clear but that's okay, just don't focus on that. Yohan is ethnically Korean but that doesn't mean much when he has to have multiple East Asian identities and speak multiple languages to carry out his missions. Yunah, on the other hand, is Korean-American and working for the Americans, using her appearance to spy on Korean targets for them. All the action converges on a Korean restaurant in Oxford, run by a South Korean man who wanted to honour the mother who raised him single-handedly.
My feelings about their inevitable demise aside, I liked how the characters were negotiating their relationships with Korea/ the motherland and also with their Korean identities. I don't think it is a coincidence that when they reflected about what makes them Korean, they cannot help but think of their elders—their mothers, fathers, and grandmothers—and of Korean food, nourishing and familiar. This novel seems like a fun spy novel with car chases, lots of backstabbing, and people whipping guns out of nowhere, but really it is saying something about the complex irreconcilable love-hate that comes with being Korean diaspora.
Yohan is an orphaned spy trained from young by two mentors, both of whom are supposedly serving North Korea. Their enemies aren't just the Americans but also South Koreans. The spy network and each organisation's respective goals aren't made clear but that's okay, just don't focus on that. Yohan is ethnically Korean but that doesn't mean much when he has to have multiple East Asian identities and speak multiple languages to carry out his missions. Yunah, on the other hand, is Korean-American and working for the Americans, using her appearance to spy on Korean targets for them. All the action converges on a Korean restaurant in Oxford, run by a South Korean man who wanted to honour the mother who raised him single-handedly.
My feelings about their inevitable demise aside, I liked how the characters were negotiating their relationships with Korea/ the motherland and also with their Korean identities. I don't think it is a coincidence that when they reflected about what makes them Korean, they cannot help but think of their elders—their mothers, fathers, and grandmothers—and of Korean food, nourishing and familiar. This novel seems like a fun spy novel with car chases, lots of backstabbing, and people whipping guns out of nowhere, but really it is saying something about the complex irreconcilable love-hate that comes with being Korean diaspora.
March 21, 2025
A North Korean spy master is discovered knifed on the first pages of Oxford Soju Club. He breathes a few cliched dying words to his protege and an attempt at a fast-paced espionage story follows. Ultimately, choppy scenes are delivered like a muddled James Bond/Jason Bourne script.
Oxford Soju Club feels like it wants to be an immigrant experience and those aspects of the novel are most effective. Great detail is taken in describing Korean food and a North Korean protagonist makes for an interesting choice. The restaurateur character and backstory with his mother created memorable scenes. The cover design is also well done.
Pinning meaning to an bullet paced spy story is no easy task. In this case so many flashbacks can leave the reader challenged to understand the timing of scene delivery. We are bulldozed with 'telling', the plot moves too rapidly and leaps to illogical progressions. Other than mundane action and chase scenes little in the way of 'showing' is offered.
The digital ARC I received was riddled with page breaks in odd places, random punctuation and out of place tabs. It served as a challenging digital reading experience.
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the review copy.
Oxford Soju Club feels like it wants to be an immigrant experience and those aspects of the novel are most effective. Great detail is taken in describing Korean food and a North Korean protagonist makes for an interesting choice. The restaurateur character and backstory with his mother created memorable scenes. The cover design is also well done.
Pinning meaning to an bullet paced spy story is no easy task. In this case so many flashbacks can leave the reader challenged to understand the timing of scene delivery. We are bulldozed with 'telling', the plot moves too rapidly and leaps to illogical progressions. Other than mundane action and chase scenes little in the way of 'showing' is offered.
The digital ARC I received was riddled with page breaks in odd places, random punctuation and out of place tabs. It served as a challenging digital reading experience.
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the review copy.
September 24, 2025
Yohan Kim finds his mentor near death on an Oxford street. Doha Kim is not just a widely travelled man, he is also a North Korean spymaster, and Yohan is his creation, taught to be an exemplary spy.
As Doha lays dying, he imparts his last instruction to Yohan, "Soju Club, Dr. Ryu." The Soju Club is a restaurant created by a South Korean immigrant, Jihoon Lim, who has left his home for England to make a new life for himself after tragedy at home. The restaurant is popular with the Oxford crowd, particularly Korean immigrants in the city. Yohan and Doha have been in the Soju Club frequently.
After Doha is dead, American agents in Oxford scramble, trying to salvage their operation, which hinged on determining the identity of Dr. Ryu, a person important in the North Korean spy apparatus.
Pretty soon, we have Yohan, Yunah Choi, American CIA agent who has run to England to escape her life in the US, another pair of US agents, and a Korean man running around Oxford trying to complete their goals, which include multiple murders.
This was a fascinating novel. Though based in a clean-up of North Korean agents by their own paranoid and autocratic government, it's actually a layered examination of identity, using South and North Korean civilians and spies, as well as an American Korean spy. The author asks questions about how we define ourselves, with respect to our heritage and countries, as well as how we're perceived by others because of this, and how this is used both for and against us.
I enjoyed this, both in prose and audio; Jason Vu does a good job of the narration, but my issue comes from the prose. Each chapter is one of the characters' point of view, and I found it a little difficult, at times, to figure out which character's PoV I was in, and when in time the chapter was set. Author Jinwoo Park jumps back and forth in time with each of the characters, so we get backstories and motivations, but I wish the transitions had been handled a little less subtly.
3.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley, Dundurn Press and to Dreamscape Media for these ARCs in exchange for my review.
As Doha lays dying, he imparts his last instruction to Yohan, "Soju Club, Dr. Ryu." The Soju Club is a restaurant created by a South Korean immigrant, Jihoon Lim, who has left his home for England to make a new life for himself after tragedy at home. The restaurant is popular with the Oxford crowd, particularly Korean immigrants in the city. Yohan and Doha have been in the Soju Club frequently.
After Doha is dead, American agents in Oxford scramble, trying to salvage their operation, which hinged on determining the identity of Dr. Ryu, a person important in the North Korean spy apparatus.
Pretty soon, we have Yohan, Yunah Choi, American CIA agent who has run to England to escape her life in the US, another pair of US agents, and a Korean man running around Oxford trying to complete their goals, which include multiple murders.
This was a fascinating novel. Though based in a clean-up of North Korean agents by their own paranoid and autocratic government, it's actually a layered examination of identity, using South and North Korean civilians and spies, as well as an American Korean spy. The author asks questions about how we define ourselves, with respect to our heritage and countries, as well as how we're perceived by others because of this, and how this is used both for and against us.
I enjoyed this, both in prose and audio; Jason Vu does a good job of the narration, but my issue comes from the prose. Each chapter is one of the characters' point of view, and I found it a little difficult, at times, to figure out which character's PoV I was in, and when in time the chapter was set. Author Jinwoo Park jumps back and forth in time with each of the characters, so we get backstories and motivations, but I wish the transitions had been handled a little less subtly.
3.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley, Dundurn Press and to Dreamscape Media for these ARCs in exchange for my review.
February 16, 2025
This book was an excellent exploration of identity and self wrapped up in a confusing timeline of murders and espionage. I was not the biggest fan of the writing, as much of the wording was distracting and felt disorganized. While I believe this may have been the point, it did not help me understand the story and I’m afraid I missed a few things during my reading. But, I will give credit, that was the point. Multiple points of view, everything centering on something different, and new players popping up halfway through the book reflects how little each character knew of the situation. This book was very intriguing, the formatting and the characters and the identities that everyone formed were all unique yet familiar. Each character explored their identity and its connection to their heritage, culture, current, past, and future self. No two were alike and it was an excellent reflection of how people grow and change throughout their lives, and identify is a confusing, multilayered thing. This book also explored national identity, especially nationalism, as each set of characters “The Americans” or “The Northerners” experience confusion, disbelief, loyalty, and disenchantment as they are pressured by the stereotypes and propaganda that confines them. They are not them, they are someone else. We get a little relief with Jihoon, which is then taken away with his death and that further pushes the plot into chaos, and the readers were not the only ones relying on Jihoon for comfort, but so were the other characters. Seeing each side and exploring their backgrounds, what they thought of one another, the propaganda and disinformation, and the relationships they built were all so confusing yet beautiful.
I enjoyed reading this, it was quick, fast paced, and had enlightening twists for me to always keep guessing. For a debut novel, this was a good read.
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I enjoyed reading this, it was quick, fast paced, and had enlightening twists for me to always keep guessing. For a debut novel, this was a good read.
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
February 17, 2025
Oxford Soju Club is everything you could ever want in a spy novel, while also managing to make you question your place in society and break your heart a little (in the best way possible).
The subtle, quiet tension throughout really highlights the storytelling as you start to feel for the characters, and then you're rewarded with action points that carry the story forward really well. Reading this just felt smooth, and I really loved the writing style and prose utilized here.
I am always someone who appreciates the characters most, and I was not disappointed here. The plot is intriguing enough on its own, and then is perfected with characters that are well-rounded, interesting people who make you want to root for them and keep you turning the page to see what happens with them next. Jinwoo Park makes you think while you read, and this book has some really great commentary on what it means to be "real" and "true" in your culture and society. The spy/action aspect really pairs well with the serious, introspective discourse on culture and the individual.
All-in-all, just an absolute vibe.
P.S. - the Golden Compass mentions hit me in the nostalgia every single time.
I am incredibly honored to have received an ARC of this book. Thank you to Jinwoo Park, Dundurn Press, and NetGalley for this pre-release copy.
The subtle, quiet tension throughout really highlights the storytelling as you start to feel for the characters, and then you're rewarded with action points that carry the story forward really well. Reading this just felt smooth, and I really loved the writing style and prose utilized here.
I am always someone who appreciates the characters most, and I was not disappointed here. The plot is intriguing enough on its own, and then is perfected with characters that are well-rounded, interesting people who make you want to root for them and keep you turning the page to see what happens with them next. Jinwoo Park makes you think while you read, and this book has some really great commentary on what it means to be "real" and "true" in your culture and society. The spy/action aspect really pairs well with the serious, introspective discourse on culture and the individual.
All-in-all, just an absolute vibe.
P.S. - the Golden Compass mentions hit me in the nostalgia every single time.
I am incredibly honored to have received an ARC of this book. Thank you to Jinwoo Park, Dundurn Press, and NetGalley for this pre-release copy.
May 29, 2025
I’m starting to think I should steer clear of books written by authors named Jinwoo. Flux by Jinwoo Chung left me irritated and confused, and Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park… followed suit.
The novel kicks off with someone getting shot (not me, sadly), and then immediately dives into time jumps that had me flipping pages just to figure out when I was. Past? Future? An alternate timeline where emotions don't exist?
The real issue for me is the writing itself. It felt flat, like reading a book by someone who once heard of a thing called emotions and decided they didn't need to be included, idk. The characters don't have a distinct voice or even much of a pulse. So combine dry prose, emotionally constipated characters, and a confusing temporal whiplash, and you’ve got me... not having a good time.
In the foreword, the author mentions this book is meant to reflect on the experience of Koreans living abroad. That intrigued me for 'obvious reasons' (PhD inNorthKorean Studies = I've met dozens if not a hundred Korean migrants), so I was hoping whatever I took from this book would be a topic of conversation. But honestly, I don't know what I've read. But I've read it. Yay. And I have opinions about the NK stuff but I’ll shut up 😂
*ARC provided for free, this hasn't impacted my review.
The novel kicks off with someone getting shot (not me, sadly), and then immediately dives into time jumps that had me flipping pages just to figure out when I was. Past? Future? An alternate timeline where emotions don't exist?
The real issue for me is the writing itself. It felt flat, like reading a book by someone who once heard of a thing called emotions and decided they didn't need to be included, idk. The characters don't have a distinct voice or even much of a pulse. So combine dry prose, emotionally constipated characters, and a confusing temporal whiplash, and you’ve got me... not having a good time.
In the foreword, the author mentions this book is meant to reflect on the experience of Koreans living abroad. That intrigued me for 'obvious reasons' (PhD in
*ARC provided for free, this hasn't impacted my review.
March 12, 2025
The Oxford Soju Club was a quick but intriguing read. It combined a classic three-way espionage tale with a study of identity, in particular self-identity. Although we didn't get to spend long with them, the characters were all well written and distinctive. The action jumped between present and past but was always clear to follow, and the ending was satisfying. Overall, this was a fun tale that also included some deeper themes, and I am giving it 4.5 stars. This is a short review, but I am wary of saying too much in this case to avoid any spoilers. If you like thrillers and contemporary fiction, this book offers a story that blends the two genres.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2025
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The setting: spies from North Korea, South Korea, US, and assorted supporting characters. North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is killed in Oxford [England]. First sentence: "Yohan finds Doha stabbed in an alleway..." --what a beginning!
Korean-American CIA agent, Yunah Choi tries to "..salvage her investigation of the North Korean spy cell in the aftermath of the assassination. At the centre of it all is the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford, owned by Jihoon Lim, an immigrant from Seoul in search of a new life..." [after his mother dies in South Korea. There are many references to Korean cuisine; soju is a Korean drink.]
"Oxford Soju Club weaves a tale of how immigrants in the Korean diaspora are forced to create identities to survive, and how in the end, they must shed those masks and seek their true selves."
As different factions move in with their own agendas, their fates become entangled, resulting in a bitter struggle that will determine whose truth will triumph. Conflicting agendas and vastly different [growing-up] experiences.
Interwoven lives, lies, and trajectories. Loyalties. Families, Secrets. Who is Dr Ryu? Who is Doha? What is one's identity? Who is the blonde? Helmeted man? And so on. Covers and fake identities, backstories, and multiple timelines reveal bits of each person. Consider: Yohan is a North Korean spy posing as a French-born Japanese! Sometimes the jumping around left me confused.
Short and a relatively easy read once one knows how to keep the myriad characters straight!
Is it really a thriller as billed? Not so much to me, but...
Original because how often does one read about Korean spies? {though certainly I have read many spy novels].
3.5, not rounding up.
The setting: spies from North Korea, South Korea, US, and assorted supporting characters. North Korean spymaster Doha Kim is killed in Oxford [England]. First sentence: "Yohan finds Doha stabbed in an alleway..." --what a beginning!
Korean-American CIA agent, Yunah Choi tries to "..salvage her investigation of the North Korean spy cell in the aftermath of the assassination. At the centre of it all is the Soju Club, the only Korean restaurant in Oxford, owned by Jihoon Lim, an immigrant from Seoul in search of a new life..." [after his mother dies in South Korea. There are many references to Korean cuisine; soju is a Korean drink.]
"Oxford Soju Club weaves a tale of how immigrants in the Korean diaspora are forced to create identities to survive, and how in the end, they must shed those masks and seek their true selves."
As different factions move in with their own agendas, their fates become entangled, resulting in a bitter struggle that will determine whose truth will triumph. Conflicting agendas and vastly different [growing-up] experiences.
Interwoven lives, lies, and trajectories. Loyalties. Families, Secrets. Who is Dr Ryu? Who is Doha? What is one's identity? Who is the blonde? Helmeted man? And so on. Covers and fake identities, backstories, and multiple timelines reveal bits of each person. Consider: Yohan is a North Korean spy posing as a French-born Japanese! Sometimes the jumping around left me confused.
Short and a relatively easy read once one knows how to keep the myriad characters straight!
Is it really a thriller as billed? Not so much to me, but...
Original because how often does one read about Korean spies? {though certainly I have read many spy novels].
3.5, not rounding up.
September 25, 2025
I wasn’t prepared for this book to turn me inside out like this but here we are.
To set expectations, this is a book about spies but it is NOT an action story. Obviously there will be a little action but it isn’t the point. The characters and their various struggles are what drive everything. It was fascinating to see how the characters dealt with identity conflict externally with their partners/commanders/friends/family while also struggling internally, trying to answer the question of what home actually is. I didn’t anticipate how attached I would be considering the low page count, but if the author can do all that I would totally revisit his work.
To set expectations, this is a book about spies but it is NOT an action story. Obviously there will be a little action but it isn’t the point. The characters and their various struggles are what drive everything. It was fascinating to see how the characters dealt with identity conflict externally with their partners/commanders/friends/family while also struggling internally, trying to answer the question of what home actually is. I didn’t anticipate how attached I would be considering the low page count, but if the author can do all that I would totally revisit his work.
November 7, 2025
This just wasn't a good fit.
November 6, 2025
Wow, I really liked this book. Oxford Soju Club is a spy thriller with an intriguing story, but where it shines is the simple moments that make a person who they are. The book explores many different layers of identity in each character, how it can be so reductive from other perspectives, but complex and confusing to the self. The characters keep developing to the very end which keep you turning the pages.
August 24, 2025
This is an excellent first novel, deftly combining spy fiction with the struggles that come with being part of a diaspora community. We get classic tropes of the spy genre (the callous manipulation by superiors for their own ends, the disenchantment with one’s own government after having to do their dirty work for years, accusations of treason for questioning orders) throughout the book as expected, and they’re well-executed here. What really sets it apart (beyond compelling characters) is how conflicting identities complicate things further, such as Yunah’s constant struggle to not be seen as the “other” by her superiors, who continually view her as Korean despite her solidly American upbringing, or Jihoon’s sense of isolation running his restaurant in a distant and foreign land. It says a lot that some of the most sympathetic and fleshed-out characters in Oxford Soju Club are North Korean spies, a character archetype that in most media are reduced to one-dimensional stereotypes extolling the glory of the Dear Leader.
The first half is engaging, but somewhat slower-paced due to the focus on setting up the pieces of the story - which is admittedly inevitable and necessary when you have multiple viewpoint characters. The second half is where it really shines, with the various schemes crashing into each other and leaving chaos in their wake. Readers, especially those familiar with the trappings of spy fiction (or with some knowledge of North Korean politics, will be able to predict some plot twists, but this is largely due to the author’s strength at weaving in enough hints for the reader to figure it out. It’s all the more impressive that so much is done in a (relatively) slender tome of around 230 pages - you could easily find yourself reading the entirety of Oxford Soju Club in a session or two because you can’t bring yourself to put the book down.
Oxford Soju Club is an easy recommendation, and I’m hoping this is just the first of many successful novels by Jinwoo Park.
The first half is engaging, but somewhat slower-paced due to the focus on setting up the pieces of the story - which is admittedly inevitable and necessary when you have multiple viewpoint characters. The second half is where it really shines, with the various schemes crashing into each other and leaving chaos in their wake. Readers, especially those familiar with the trappings of spy fiction (or with some knowledge of North Korean politics, will be able to predict some plot twists, but this is largely due to the author’s strength at weaving in enough hints for the reader to figure it out. It’s all the more impressive that so much is done in a (relatively) slender tome of around 230 pages - you could easily find yourself reading the entirety of Oxford Soju Club in a session or two because you can’t bring yourself to put the book down.
Oxford Soju Club is an easy recommendation, and I’m hoping this is just the first of many successful novels by Jinwoo Park.
June 20, 2025
This was an interesting read. The pacing is quick and I liked how there were high stakes involved without the storytelling being overly complicated. It honestly kinda gave me action K-drama vibes at times, which made it more fun.
That said, I do wish the characters and certain relationships had been more developed. There were moments that seemed designed to get the reader emotionally invested, but they didn’t fully land for me. The sudden flashbacks that occurred also felt a bit jarring since we're already dealing with frequent shifts between multiple povs.
Overall, it was quite enjoyable.
That said, I do wish the characters and certain relationships had been more developed. There were moments that seemed designed to get the reader emotionally invested, but they didn’t fully land for me. The sudden flashbacks that occurred also felt a bit jarring since we're already dealing with frequent shifts between multiple povs.
Overall, it was quite enjoyable.
November 15, 2025
⭐⭐⭐.5
Pre-Read Notes:
I really love stories that explore characters' allegiances, and thus loyalty as a motivating force. Plus, that cover? Yes please!
This is an arc that got away, because the advance copy was not accessible. This book is available now!
"We chuckle and it almost feels as if everything is as it used to be, before the regime change, before the order. But of course, we can never go back. We can’t keep any of what we have built. It all must be erased. The new Leader wants a clean slate." p194
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) This is a fast-paced book about loyalty, liberty, and how we decide where home is.
My Favorite Things:
✔️ "Doha’s instructions regarding situations in engaging members of the public are based on two simple doctrines: no one spits at a smiling face and the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Essentially, a combination of politeness and a general lack of words." p62
✔️ "“So you opted to steal. Are you making an excuse for your transgression?” “We had no choice. We were going to miss our quota anyway,” he pleads through heavy breathing....One way or the other, he will be executed, because I know he is lying. The current distribution is six hundred grams of grain per day per person. In any case, there is nothing more to hear from this man. I call for the guards, and they pull him out of the chair. Two guards each hold him by an arm, letting his feet drag on the concrete floor. As he leaves, he proclaims his innocence, desperately howling, his hoarse voice scratching the air. I make my recommendations to the party official who has been put in charge of deciding his fate. I write that his motives were personal, selfish, and capitalistic and label him as a reactionary." p This read was a little disorienting to me. There were times I felt the story approached horror or thriller territory, like here. But this was also just the day to day reality for some people. Is that tension I'm feeling irony between these two story truths? metafiction? Either way, it's completely brilliant and I find the book to be a deep emotional challenge.
✔️ The author references himself in a startlingly original bit of metafiction. Normally, I would probably find this gimmicky, but not here. Here it is clever and says something tender about names.
Thank you to Jinwoo Park, Dundurn Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of THE OXFORD SOJU CLUB. (The arc was not accessible, thus my late review.) All views are mine.
Pre-Read Notes:
I really love stories that explore characters' allegiances, and thus loyalty as a motivating force. Plus, that cover? Yes please!
This is an arc that got away, because the advance copy was not accessible. This book is available now!
"We chuckle and it almost feels as if everything is as it used to be, before the regime change, before the order. But of course, we can never go back. We can’t keep any of what we have built. It all must be erased. The new Leader wants a clean slate." p194
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) This is a fast-paced book about loyalty, liberty, and how we decide where home is.
My Favorite Things:
✔️ "Doha’s instructions regarding situations in engaging members of the public are based on two simple doctrines: no one spits at a smiling face and the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Essentially, a combination of politeness and a general lack of words." p62
✔️ "“So you opted to steal. Are you making an excuse for your transgression?” “We had no choice. We were going to miss our quota anyway,” he pleads through heavy breathing....One way or the other, he will be executed, because I know he is lying. The current distribution is six hundred grams of grain per day per person. In any case, there is nothing more to hear from this man. I call for the guards, and they pull him out of the chair. Two guards each hold him by an arm, letting his feet drag on the concrete floor. As he leaves, he proclaims his innocence, desperately howling, his hoarse voice scratching the air. I make my recommendations to the party official who has been put in charge of deciding his fate. I write that his motives were personal, selfish, and capitalistic and label him as a reactionary." p This read was a little disorienting to me. There were times I felt the story approached horror or thriller territory, like here. But this was also just the day to day reality for some people. Is that tension I'm feeling irony between these two story truths? metafiction? Either way, it's completely brilliant and I find the book to be a deep emotional challenge.
✔️ The author references himself in a startlingly original bit of metafiction. Normally, I would probably find this gimmicky, but not here. Here it is clever and says something tender about names.
Thank you to Jinwoo Park, Dundurn Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of THE OXFORD SOJU CLUB. (The arc was not accessible, thus my late review.) All views are mine.
February 22, 2025
Book Review: Soju Club by Jinwoo Park
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
(I received a free digital copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.)
Jinwoo Park’s Soju Club is a fast-paced, high-stakes thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish—well, almost. This is exactly the kind of book I love: sharp writing, a gripping plot, and characters who feel real. It’s got everything—spies, secrets, shifting alliances, and a deeper story about identity and belonging.
What Works
The setup is fantastic. Yohan, a North Korean operative, is trying to uncover the truth about his mentor’s death. Yunah, a Korean American CIA agent, is desperate to save her failing investigation. And Jihoon, the owner of Oxford’s only Korean restaurant, just wants a fresh start. Their lives collide in a way that feels completely natural yet impossible to predict.
Park keeps the tension high while giving the characters emotional depth. This isn’t just a spy novel—it’s a story about people trying to find their place in the world. That balance between action and character is what makes this such a standout read.
I have no doubt Soju Club is going to be made into a movie. It’s too cinematic not to be. I can already picture the tense conversations, the double-crosses, the atmospheric shots of Oxford’s streets. I’d love to see how a director brings this to life, but until then, the book itself delivers everything I want in a thriller.
Where It Falls Short
For the first 75% of the book, the pacing is razor-sharp. The stakes keep escalating, the character dynamics stay fresh, and the twists come at just the right moments. But in the final stretch, the energy shifts. Instead of the tightly controlled tension that made the earlier chapters so engaging, the plot starts to drag, weighed down by drawn-out resolutions and a sense that the story is circling rather than driving forward.
It’s not that the ending is bad—Park knows how to wrap up a narrative—but compared to the electric buildup, the conclusion lacks that same urgency. The last act feels like it’s moving through the motions, ensuring every plot thread is neatly tied rather than delivering the same heart-pounding suspense that made the first three-quarters so gripping.
That said, the novel still stands out as one of the strongest spy thrillers I’ve read in a while. The depth of the characters, the layered storytelling, and the overall execution make Soju Club absolutely worth reading. Park is a writer to watch, and I’ll be eager to see what he does next.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
(I received a free digital copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.)
Jinwoo Park’s Soju Club is a fast-paced, high-stakes thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish—well, almost. This is exactly the kind of book I love: sharp writing, a gripping plot, and characters who feel real. It’s got everything—spies, secrets, shifting alliances, and a deeper story about identity and belonging.
What Works
The setup is fantastic. Yohan, a North Korean operative, is trying to uncover the truth about his mentor’s death. Yunah, a Korean American CIA agent, is desperate to save her failing investigation. And Jihoon, the owner of Oxford’s only Korean restaurant, just wants a fresh start. Their lives collide in a way that feels completely natural yet impossible to predict.
Park keeps the tension high while giving the characters emotional depth. This isn’t just a spy novel—it’s a story about people trying to find their place in the world. That balance between action and character is what makes this such a standout read.
I have no doubt Soju Club is going to be made into a movie. It’s too cinematic not to be. I can already picture the tense conversations, the double-crosses, the atmospheric shots of Oxford’s streets. I’d love to see how a director brings this to life, but until then, the book itself delivers everything I want in a thriller.
Where It Falls Short
For the first 75% of the book, the pacing is razor-sharp. The stakes keep escalating, the character dynamics stay fresh, and the twists come at just the right moments. But in the final stretch, the energy shifts. Instead of the tightly controlled tension that made the earlier chapters so engaging, the plot starts to drag, weighed down by drawn-out resolutions and a sense that the story is circling rather than driving forward.
It’s not that the ending is bad—Park knows how to wrap up a narrative—but compared to the electric buildup, the conclusion lacks that same urgency. The last act feels like it’s moving through the motions, ensuring every plot thread is neatly tied rather than delivering the same heart-pounding suspense that made the first three-quarters so gripping.
That said, the novel still stands out as one of the strongest spy thrillers I’ve read in a while. The depth of the characters, the layered storytelling, and the overall execution make Soju Club absolutely worth reading. Park is a writer to watch, and I’ll be eager to see what he does next.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
August 7, 2025
The death of a North Korean spymaster sets off an avalanche of events, not in the way we think - Oxford Soju Club slowly peels back the onion layers to reveal identity politics, human instinct for hope and a deep, silent tragegy of what's home. Set over the course of an evening, with intermittent flashbacks we glimpse spies and their different alliances, Park shows us the fate of indivudals moulded under different ideals - those staunchly devoted to their nation against "a nation full of individuals wanting to go their own way".
I enjoyed the last few chapters that showed us Yohan's relationship to Dr. Ryu and Doha, it's a sentimental and bittersweet callback to his mentors' choices - exercising what little free (illusionary as it was) will they had, in deciding to save one soul for the many they couldn't.
It was also interesting to see that despite living in the free world, the South Koreans emigrée don't fare much better, Jihoon's escape from grief and Yunah's conflict of who she is painted a complex and frustratingly sad story, even for those we think will be unscathed in the global war between rulers and bureacracy that abandons them when it matters the most.
Don't get put off by the transliteration and names - this book is a chameleon of spy thriller poking into literary discourse on discovering yourself in a mad and crazy world.
I enjoyed the last few chapters that showed us Yohan's relationship to Dr. Ryu and Doha, it's a sentimental and bittersweet callback to his mentors' choices - exercising what little free (illusionary as it was) will they had, in deciding to save one soul for the many they couldn't.
It was also interesting to see that despite living in the free world, the South Koreans emigrée don't fare much better, Jihoon's escape from grief and Yunah's conflict of who she is painted a complex and frustratingly sad story, even for those we think will be unscathed in the global war between rulers and bureacracy that abandons them when it matters the most.
Don't get put off by the transliteration and names - this book is a chameleon of spy thriller poking into literary discourse on discovering yourself in a mad and crazy world.
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