Pyongyang A Journey in North Korea - Guy Delisle

Some may say that for a book blog choosing a graphic novel for the second post is an odd choice, but I don't discriminate here!

I was introduced to graphic novels in 2014 when I started university, and I have since found an appreciation for the genre that previously I had narrow-mindedly written off as adult comic books full of tortured superheroes and chaotic villains (so thank you Alison Bechdel and 'Fun Home')!

I think that graphic novels can help make serious and intimidating topics more accessible and fun, and this book is the perfect example of this. North Korea is probably, if not definitely the most secretive place on the planet, it is shrouded in mystery, and from a western perspective it can seem completely mind-boggling! That fact alone was enough for me to pick this off the shelf and not question my choice (though I'll admit the borderline creepy cover also helped.) In this book Delisle offers a wry and dry insight into a country that most of us will never see. He makes what could have been a mundane run through of his day to day life comically gripping and culturally enlightening. You would think it would be the big things that shock you; foreigners being segregated in purpose build hotels, or having to have a native escort everywhere you go, but those things seem to take on some essence of normality when compared to the minutae. It is the small everyday things like the angle at which paintings are hung on the wall specifically to avoid glare for the viewer, or the thrill and fear that compete with each other when you realise you're holding a prohibited item. Those are the things that actually make you think about how different of an existence it is, and how every interaction with every object is carefully thought out to protect the regime. This book truly opened my eyes!

If you are looking for beautifully expressive and colourful artwork, then this is probably not the graphic novel for you. But if you like clean and simple illustration that perfectly complements witty narrative then Delisle will help you laugh and learn as you stumble with him through a snippet of life in North Korea. It may be clichéd to say but a picture really is worth a thousand words!

H x