In the Shadow of the Sun

About this book

A sister and brother go on the run with explosive forbidden photographs in this gripping and timely survival adventure set in North Korea.

North Korea is known as the most repressive country on Earth, with a dictatorial leader, a starving population, and harsh punishment for rebellion.

Perfect place for a family vacation, right?

Yet that's exactly where Mia Andrews finds herself, on a tour with her aid-worker father and fractious older brother Simon. Mia was adopted from South Korea as a baby, and the trip raises tough questions about who she really is. Then her dad is arrested for spying, just as forbidden photographs of North Korean slave-labour camps fall into Mia's hands. The only to save Dad: get the pictures into China, over a hundred miles away. Thus Mia and Simon set off on a harrowing journey without food, money or shelter, in a land where anyone who sees them might turn them in, and getting caught could mean prison — or worse.

Rooted in years of research and written with deep sympathy for the North Korean people, In the Shadow of the Sun is an unforgettable story of strength and survival.

Reviews

Praise for In the Shadow of the Sun:

iBooks Best Books of June

"A thrilling and immersive experience reminiscent of the best spy and wilderness adventure stories.... A riveting work that will appeal to a wide range of readers." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Thought-provoking....This fast-paced and tense survivalist thriller, made all the more compelling for its fascinating setting, should find broad appeal." -- Booklist

"A nuanced portrayal of North Korea; the government is restrictive and the police force divided, but the citizens' complex perspectives and attitudes are revealed in thoughtful, interspersed dispatches." -- Publishers Weekly

'O'Brien draws from a deep well of personal experience in her first novel...'In the Shadow of the Sun' is a compelling thriller...but is also an incisive and insightful portrait of a closed society that is largely unknown to the world...Fascinating and illuminating." -- Maine Sunday Telegram