The Law of the Heart
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The Law of the Heart
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Narrated by:
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Brian Nishii
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Greta Jung
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By:
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Boris Starling
About this listen
Their love is against the laws of a merciless state - but the heart has its own power.
For rollercoaster designer Theo, living on the edge is just part of the job. He’s used to wandering the world perfecting thrills, his heart immune to commitment. But then a commission in repressive North Korea exposes him to emotions he’s never dared to feel.
Tour guide Min has a soul that wants to soar, but she knows it’s safer to build walls around her heart and mind. Skilled in showcasing the mesmerising beauty of capital city Pyongyang without revealing its darker secrets, she introduces Theo to a country he will never forget - and begins to question her policy of quiet compliance.
But forgetting - or pretending to - is the key to survival for Min’s formidable grandmother Cuckoo. After a devastating heartbreak years ago, she learned that passion and oppression just don’t mix.
As Min and Theo grow closer and long-held secrets come to light, all three are forced to confront emotions they’ve tried to suppress. In a country where following their hearts will put them in danger, how much are they willing to risk?
©2021 by Boris Starling. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Part of the attraction is feeling that you are getting a glimpse into one of the world's still-secret communities. North Korea is an enigma - you just can't imagine how a whole country has managed to stay stuck in the past, revering what (to us) look like comedy leaders. Alleged famines, disproportionate spending on military, a cosseted party-level overlord mentality. How could that still be tenable in our modern world?
The storyline around the development of the rollercoaster made an interesting metaphor - am not usually into literary cleverness, but I liked how Theo's work reflected some of the relationship development. And as I love a good rollercoaster ride, it was interesting to find out a little more about this very unusual job!
The author's development of the characters of Min and Cuckoo is beautiful - you really care about both. Their respective heartbreaks are devastating, and the last quarter of the book was hard to read through my constant tears and gasps of 'oh no' as a new twist arrived. Glad no-one else was in the house as I wept my way to the finish.
I wasn't 100% sure about the audio performances. I felt that Min came over as too American, and Theo as not enough! However, both seemed to capture the essence of their characters quite nicely and it was a very enjoyable listen.
Thoroughly recommended reading - loved it so much I've read it twice in the last 5 months!
Beautiful sob-inducing story!
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Highly recommend
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It's about gaining and losing all at once. There was tension all the way through but there were light and easy moments as well as sad ones. It wasn't depressing or sad as a book overall, and most of the time I found it very easy and flowing to listen to. It is a love story, and there were a couple of cheesy parts, and some slightly long (and also many beautiful) descriptions, but it's easy to forgive them and appreciate the rest of the book. Given the setting is in North Korea, I also found a few things unrealistic in terms of some character's actions and thoughts. And I found the female narrator's voice a little difficult at the beginning -slightly robotic- but it added to the characters voice once I got used to it.
If you aren't that into romance (like myself), this is still worth listening to, it's a lovely story!
Original, small details contain biggest emotions.
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