Kimjongilia

by Victor Fox

Poor kitchen worker Kim Suk is asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for her Party—marry, and inform on, the puppet they will install as Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Sung. No one told her he was capriciously cruel and sexually deviant.

Chinese guerrilla fighter Peter Chang, ordered to protect Kim Suk from her new husband, is an angry man haunted by his mother's death and his father's abandonment. No one told him he wasn't expected to survive his newest assignment in the Kim household.

While the two secretly carry out their orders from different superiors, they become romantically entangled, each struggling to protect the other from the darkest secrets of conspiracy and manipulation.

A Note From the Publisher
After North Korea allegedly hacked Sony pictures, many publishers were afraid to publish this explosive book. To them, it was just too risky. Regardless of the warnings and threats, I have decided to go ahead and make this book available to you without censoring any information.

Genres: Novels, Fiction, Historical Fiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 2015

Reviews

[Elizabeth (Stuffed Shelves) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victor Fox gave me a whole different perspective on the society in North Korea. This story is based on true events, and some of it gives me the chills knowing horrific things happen in different parts of the world. It has an abundance of Korean culture that I found to be very interesting, and enjoyed reading each new piece of information.

With all the emotions portrayed and revealed, I couldn't help my heart racing and aching for the pain endured in this rollercoaster of a story. Fox has a unique way to bring romance into the story which is beautiful and touching.

There books hits almost every single genre, with thrill, romance, and historical fiction. It kept me on the edge of my seat, with drama and the sense of adventure. It's very well written, giving any reader a great mental picture of the experiences each character encounters.

I normally do not initially go for a book like this one, but something about it intrigued me, and I'm glad I tried something that was sort of out of my comfort zone. I can't wait to recommend this to some of my friends and family and discuss the book with them. Absolutely a 5/5.

[Garrett Zecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kimjongilia is a beautiful romance set up as a frame story that tells the harrowing and paranoid love between two of the inner circle members of the Kim household in North Korea. From the humble origins of communist ideology, through the ascendance of power, and all of the murder, intrigue, fear, adultery, paperwork, and backstabbing of that has led to the current situation in North Korea, this story is an exciting and heartbreaking romance heavily steeped in historical fact.

What is most memorable about this book is the way in which Fox is able to create a romance that is both a beautiful touching story and also a well-crafted tale. For me this isn’t always something that goes hand in hand, and I either find myself wading into unrealistic saccharine scenes of sentimentality or sexual explosivity. Fox has created a beautiful and realistic piece that is entertaining for any audience, from readers of the spy thriller, to bildungsroman, to romance, to historical fiction, to action, and just plain literary fiction. It is as touching as it is exciting, a nail biting novel where a true sympathetic itch for the characters drives every turn of the page.

Well written, and brilliantly edited and formatted, this book was a breeze to fly though on my Kindle. Unlike many self-published novels, this gem allowed for a gorgeous, real reading experience that is unparalleled among its peers.

I loved this book as someone who is interested in the history of the conflict and power struggles in the fearsome government, but I also loved it as a reader, and I was surprised to love this book that is considered to be a part of a genre I rarely approach. A really enjoyable book I will be recommending to others.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story of intrigue, conspiracy, romance, political machinations, espionage and adventure. And really not at all interesting in spite of all those ingredients. There are subplots and minor characters that don’t go anywhere, an implausible framing device, poor characterisation, stilted dialogue and remarkably frequent, repetitive and gratuitous sex. And yet the book has garnered ecstatic praise, particularly on Amazon.com with all the reviewers saying what a great book it is (Although I did notice that without exception all the reviewers give 5* to all their reviews. How do they manage never to read a less than marvellous book?) However, that’s by-the-by. There’s no doubt that the premise for this book is a fascinating one. In an effort to retain influence over the future ruler of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, the Chinese despatch a poor kitchen worker to be his wife and their contact in North Korea. Peter Chang, a disillusioned guerrilla fighter, is sent to act as her cook – and protector. Inevitably, given that Kim Il Sung is not the worlds’ greatest husband, the two fall in love and the book suggests that Kim Jung Il is not in fact Kim Il Sung’s son but Peter’s. (And while we’re on the subject I’d like to know why the author uses Kim Sung and Kim Jong without the Il – perhaps there’s a subtlety there I’m missing) In any event it’s not a very exciting story – but my problem is with its veracity. The author says he has spoken with North Korean defectors and discovered more than he bargained for. Although he doesn’t say exactly what that was. He also says that he actually met two men who personally knew Kim Sung and Chin Ho. That’s as maybe, but where are his references? What are his documentary sources? Obviously he may want to disguise his informants, but to write a story like this with no acknowledgment of those sources seems indefensible. If the book were merely a novel, that would be fine, but the author insists it’s a true story. I’d like to know more. So all in all I really didn’t enjoy the book, in spite of my obsession with secretive North Korea and in spite of my recent trip there. I’d love to know whether any North Koreans have read it and what their reaction is. However, in spite of all my criticism, I do recommend the book (in a funny sort of way) as it needs some informed discussion rather than adulatory comments and I hope other readers will take issue with me.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC for review.

I swear that I vaguely remember hearing some advance press for this book (North Korea is one of those areas in which I have a vague interest) but then it sort of just disappeared. According to the author most major publishers lost interest after the Sony Pictures/"The Interview" debacle, but after reading I'm not quite so sure.....

The story is set primarily during the war where Kim Sung is being trained as the presumptive head of a new North Korean communist state and where Kim Jong-Suk and Peter Chang serve as his wife and his manservant, respectively, but also as spies for China and Russia. The story is more of a household drama than a statement on any of the nations and their politics - Kim Sung is a drunk and it's unclear why anyone ever thought he was fit to hold any position of power (other than that he can be an effective puppet), Kim Jong-Suk and Peter Chang fall in love (what choice do they have? They never see anyone else.) and ultimately Kim Sung and Kim Jong-Suk (we presume) father Kim Jong Il, who is, quite possibly, the worst child in the world.

There are also many other spies milling about, so many that I often got them confused, a few subplots that don't really go anywhere and a framework (a writer meets an old Korean man in a park who has a manuscript) that doesn't really make sense. Plus, the reader sees almost nothing of the outside world - all the characters are cloistered in various houses, and while this may explain, at least in party, why Kim Jong Il became who he was, it all gets a bit repetitive for the reader.

Overall, interesting for those intrigued by a "this is how it could have been" approach to North Korean history, but not an incredibly great book - I was hoping for more.

[MBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kimjonglia is a story that should interest anyone that has an avid curiosity when it comes to the ultra secretive regime that is North Korea. When one considers the recent events of volatility involving its current leader and the current US President, the North Korean leadership now into its third generation since the reign of the Dear Leader, its history is of vital importance if one is to understand where the regime and its ideology stems from. I believe that Kimjonglia offers vital insight into the regime’s very fragile beginnings which was orchestrated in a very large and significant way by both China and Soviet Union at the time. Stalin’s notoriety as a despotic leader and his regime’s dark influence is seen in the mechanisms that were used by the North Korean regime in the early years to subjugate the masses, which saw entire families “disloyal” to the regime sent to gulags, killed, or worse. Stories of the abject horror that the residents of these gulags are subjected to emerge and trickle down from prisoners who risk their lives to escape. But this is not what Kimjonglia is about.

Kimjonglia, according to the author of the book, is a flower that is named after Kim Jong. Story begins when Peter Chang, whose heroic role in defeating the Japanese forces in China is entrusted with protection of Kim Jong-Suk, wife of Kim Song-ju, the man who was being groomed to become the leader of North Korea. Kim Song-ju’s description in the book needs no further explanation which I will quote here.

“Kim Song-ju was born in 1912, the oldest of three brothers. His father was a Presbyterian minister, kicked out of the church for stealing funds. Even though Kim never fought in a guerrilla war, many stories about him circulate on the Korean Peninsula. No one really knows how these stories came to light, but there is strong evidence that Soviet leaders, desperately looking for a Korean ally, might have been behind the tales. In reality, Kim Song is an insecure man who loves to spend his time with loose women rather than with men of respect and honor. He loves to tell family stories to impress people, and often misrepresents his real family background. Many people in Korea, China, and the Soviet Union believe that he is a God-loving Christian man, but in point of fact Kim Song is an atheist who believes in aliens. He loves astrology and often makes absurd claims, such as seeing aliens and meeting them in his home. He believes firmly that he was born an exceptional man who is destined to rule the world. The Soviet Union and China know about his weaknesses but support him because he is the most gullible Korean public figure available. Both countries believe that Kim Song-ju will be easily controlled, and they use his incapacities to their advantage. An unspoken war is in progress between the two countries to get full control of Kim Song-ju, and unfortunately, from the Chinese point of view, our position is weakening and deteriorating. Kim Song is getting closer to the Kremlin and has even adopted his new name, Kim ll-Sung. We don’t know why the Soviet Union convinced him to change his name, but we think it was to hide his military records. Lately we have confirmed that he has become a big consumer of vodka and drinks heavily in the evenings. Our source also tells us that alcohol consumption is having a terrible effect on his health, and some Soviet doctors are trying to stop him from drinking too much. He also suffers from numerous sexual diseases. While the Soviets were busy throwing beautiful women at him, we arranged for him to marry one of our finest agents.”

Though born as a Korean, Kim Jong-Suk had been brought up loyal to China and the Communist Party of China (CPC). In the end, afraid that the Soviet’s influence on Kim Song-ju was growing too rapidly, China had been “forced” to convince Kim Song-ju to take Kim Jong-Suk as his wife. However, Kim Song-ju had proven to be far difficult and unpredictable a man to control as CPC had initially thought. Which is how Peter is sent as a live in household staff at Kim Song-ju’s residence.

At first, I did not believe that I would be as fascinated with the story as I was in the end. I didn’t expect myself to be thoroughly captivated by the tale that unfolded, but the story is told in such a way that the elite founding members of the dictatorial and autocratic regime that is North Korea appears in a more human light. I wouldn’t use the word humane on a leader who laid down the foundations of depraved cruelty for his people, but nevertheless he is discussed in a light that sheds insight into the man he became later on. A man who is as much flesh and blood as you and me. A man driven by his baser desires of drinking and need for women that he could never get enough of, and the wife that he kept at home, who turned to another man for comfort which brings forth with it scandalous secrets of the kind that could shake the very foundations of the regime itself.

Kimjonglia also shows the Chinese and Russian machinations that went on behind Kim Song-ju’s back. The Chinese and Russians trying to outdo each other in the influence both wielded on Kim. How the Chinese planted spies loyal to the CPC within Kim’s inner circles, and how the Russians cultivated enough personal information on the offspring of Kim that could have literally broken him into pieces. The hostility that North Korean regime shows towards the US, Japan and the South Korea is a dynamic that interests foreign policy enthusiasts. So does its close ties with Russia and China which has continued up till today.

Kimjonglia is passed off as written by one of the earliest Generals of Kim’s army, one of Chinese origin, who worked as a spy for the Russians, but eventually found himself in cahoots with the Chinese in order to protect their assets on the Pyongyang ground. Utter barbaric cruelty of the Kim Jong even as a child is displayed in the book, one that barely hints at the savagery he would later wield over his people once he took over from his father.

Tales of love, lust, betrayal, and treachery lines the lives of the family, and makes for a fascinating read that remains highly plausible once you do more reading on the characters that appear in the book as it unfolds. What happened to Kim’s first wife, mother of Kim Jong and her lover and father of her two kids remains a mystery, conveniently explained by the North Korean regime as having being killed in child birth. Because of the secrecy that shrouds the members of a regime that has become increasingly paranoid over time, what you read and garner between the lines is just as captivating. I just wish that there was more of it!

Rating = 4.25/5

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[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

It claims to be based on a true story. I'm not sure that I fully believe this. I don't think that "Ron" would actually know every little private conversation that had happened, nor would he know everything that happened within governments that he wasn't even present in. Needless to say I still liked the story and I'm sure some of what was said did indeed happen. I'm sure there's some truth to it. Peter Chang and Kim Suk for one...that'd be an interesting true story and I much prefer an ending like this then what was claimed in the media to her death. I won't give that away as you must read the story for it.

I wasn't sure if I would end up liking this novel because at first I couldn't stand Peter Chang. He was full of himself and he was cocky and quick to anger. But, as the story progressed I did grow to like Peter and his story line. I actually found myself disappointed as the story continued because Peter Chang wasn't in the story as much as Chin Ho was introduced more often. However, I really liked Chin Ho's story as well with the prostitute.

The book is a real eye opener to some of the stuff that happens behind the scenes in North Korea. The way the world was viewed and some of their strange ideas on how women should be...or even men. It really made me feel uneasy with both the leader and the leader that came after that who was claimed to be an evil child. In the novel they truly made him seem like he was a sociopath in the making...and it was kind of unbelievable but knowing what I know about the man he grew to be...hey maybe it's legit.

I don't know. I guarantee some was made up but over all it was a pretty good read.

[Loki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clunky writing aside, this should not be considered a work of nonfiction. You will not find any sources to back up the wild claims in this book. Please be aware that this is not piece of informed research. It reads, to put it politely, like poor fanfiction. Little exposition, very strained dialogue. North Korea is a fascinating country and it does not need a cheap (and probably false) tale of espionage to draw a reader in.

And for those who do dare to post a critical review-- you will receive rude comments from people singing praises for this book. Perhaps they are associated with the author, perhaps not. But it is suspicious and I do suspect the ratings may be padded.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

high school level writing quality and I'm not sure why they say this is a true story since it's not. i don't know what possessed me to finish this book as it just kind of sputtered to an end after a long hard slog through page after page of garbage plot and insufferable characters you hope will all die suddenly. the bright side is whatever i read next is going to seem like dostoyevsky by comparison. stay the hell away from this one, folks.

[Kaitlin Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going insane wondering if this is really a true story. I've googled the snot out of it and can't get a good answer. But it is incredibly gripping

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read about North Korea often, but usually non-fiction. This book caught my eye with its "true story" subtitle, and because it addressed an earlier time period (1940-50) than most of the other things I've read. The problem with the "true story" thing, though, is that I struggled to believe it. Fox makes almost no mention of Kim il-Sung's military career, instead depicting him as a whoremonger and drunk surrounded by spies engaging in elaborate multi-year espionage schemes. A story so wild and so full of normative judgments about its characters (for example, the word "evil" must've been used a couple dozen times) has to work a little harder to convince us that it's "true." Even taking this entirely as a work of fiction, I didn't much care for the characters-- half of whom were oddly uniform in personality and the other half of whom were clownishly evil-- and the choppy simplistic language reads almost as though it had been poorly translated into English. The epilogue adds a found-footage kind of spin to the story, but contains nothing about the author's sources or how much he deviated from the history. I still don't know how much of this book is based on research or imagination; all I can tell you is that the Wikipedia page on Kim il-Sung says nothing about his wife being a Chinese spy, his son having a different father, his house burning down, one of his sons killing the other, his second wife being a former prostitute, or any number of other major plot points in the book. I wish Fox had taken more time to create a believable spin on a true premise, but I just don't think that's what happened here.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story and it's true!

Unbelievable, an entrancing story of a hidden society. I would recommend this to anybody. I accidentally learned some things and I went to the library immediately. No, was I surprised.

[Jamison G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives me an insight about romance, politics, history and North Korea. Really a great experience.

[Garcia C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. A well- written book with a jaw dropping conclusion. I will look forward to read more from this author.

[Alison]

kindle 293 (true story)

[Landreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't read this! It's really silly even though the story has so much potential! Great concept,poorly written.

[Catherine Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story told to the author about his time as a house servant to North Korea's Kim ll Sung.

[Lonnie Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not know if I would like this book or not, but the more I read the more i got wrapped up in it. Anyone who thinks communism is cool needs to read this......it will change your mind.