The book excels when the focus is on the protagonist, Ki-yong. It's worth reading just to see what happens to this North Korean spy living in Seoul who is ordered home in 24 hours. There's enough intrigue and conflict with his character for a great novel. The description and contrast between both North and South Korea was fascinating. I found myself losing interest in the novel, however, when the story detours and tries to develop the characters of Ki-yong's wife and daughter. We needed to know about them but not to the extent the author believes. I found myself skimming a lot until the action returned to Ki-yong. With some additional editing I think this novel has a chance to be really, really good.