The Other Side of Tomorrow - Tina M. Cho - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Tina M. Cho

ILLUSTRATOR: Deb J.J. Lee

GENRE: Middle-grade Graphic Novel in verse.

PUBLICATION DATE: November 12, 2024

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade graphic novel written in verse, telling the story of two tweens from North Korea and their planned escape to a brighter future. I wanted to like this far more than I did, but a few of the writing choices didn’t work for me. The illustrations are stunning. The book has some dark content, so it would be better if adults read and evaluate its suitability for their kids before handing it over.

Plot Preview:

2013, North Korea. Yunho is a shy ten-year-old who stays alone with his grandmother after his mother escaped across the border to China to earn money and improve their circumstances. She had promised to send for Yunho as soon as possible, but it has been almost two years now with no update. Yunho is good at finding scrap metal, which he sells to the government in exchange for some much-needed money.

Eleven-year-old Myunghee is an independent school dropout who scavenges the mountainside for wild roots and vegetables, and trades them in the market. She lived with her ailing grandmother, but after the latter’s death, Myunghee is all alone.

Circumstances throw Yunho and Myunghee together, first at an horrifying public event, and then as part of a group with a common dream – escape. With the help of a pastor and some local agents, the group travels through four countries until they can apply for asylum. The journey is fraught with danger, but is it better to chance death while running towards a brighter future, or to stay in a country where there is no future?

The story is written in the alternating first-person perspectives of the two kids.

A book based on two young children fending for themselves in the totalitarian regime of North Korea has to have tremendous merit. Through this graphic novel, we get a glimpse of how rigid the governmental regulations are, how tough it is for the less-fortunate citizens of the country to survive, and how little the residents can trust anyone around them for fear of being reported, or worse, killed.

Most of us don’t know much about life in that closed dictatorship, so this book offers a gritty look at the situation there. The plot captures the restrictive atmosphere and the fear of the people perfectly. It also depicts the citizens’ external subservience to the regime’s dictates, even if they believe something else within. It is easy for us outsiders to question why these people are blind to their woes and why they don’t protest or overthrow the dictators, but only if we ourselves were in that position would we be able to accept that sometimes, surviving means compromising on many accounts, including rebellious tendencies and ethics. If nothing else, the story generates a sense of gratitude for our privileged life, and makes us appreciative of the freedom we take for granted.

While opting for this graphic novel, I hadn’t realised that it was written in verse. I am not comfortable with poetry in any form, so I read the text as ordinary prose and it worked well enough for me. I did see glimpses of a poetic writing style, with some words strung together in a harmonious repetition to deliver a greater impact. Beyond this, I have no comment to make on the poetic merit of this work. That said, the ‘verse’ factor might work against the book; not many readers, regardless of age group, readily opt for books written in verse.

The story journeys through five countries, just like our main characters do. The first part, set in North Korea, is the lengthiest and the most impactful. The middle three sections (covering China, Laos, and Thailand) are good but not extensive. The plot feels somewhat rushed here. The final section is based in the USA, the weakest subset of the book. I am familiar with Southeast Asia, so it was easy for me to keep track of the characters’ escape through multiple countries. But to western readers, including a map might have been helpful.

The illustrations are stunning, as can be seen from that gorgeous cover art. The graphics seem to be shaded in a kind of watercolour effect, so the art appears as fluid as the verses. The expressions on the characters’ faces is especially praise-worthy; we can actually feel their emotional vulnerability in many of the panels.

A special note at the end provides details on North Korean history – this is brilliant.

While the core plot definitely worked for me, some of the writing decisions left me dissatisfied.

    - I didn’t expect to see strong Christian content in this book. Having a pastor as one of the rescuers meant that some lines were deeply rooted in belief, which was fine. But going much beyond those scenes to establish the power of faith in the Christian God as being essential in their escape? I don’t know how to feel about that. In such a grounded story, adding the faith component wasn’t necessary, even if some refugees would certainly lean on faith to guide them to safety. Considering the universality of the story, I think the book should have focussed more on the practical resilience of the characters than on their spiritual enlightenment. Alternatively, the blurb should have clearly indicated the faith-based content so that readers can take a call with complete information. (Note: Practising Christian here. So no, this feedback has nothing to do with my own faith.)

    - There are a few scary sequences that might be triggering to sensitive younger readers. I understand that this is based in reality, but a certain dilution of the extreme events such as the public execution would have been better.

    - Having two POVs in first person is not a great idea for middle-grade books, especially when each perspective lasts barely a couple of pages. The frequent swap in perspective can get confusing.

    - There is a certain idealisation of asylum life in the USA. The characters seem to get an almost instant resolution for all their needs there, and they don’t face any racial or other discrimination. It is too smooth to be believable. This especially jars when we remember that, though the story is set in 2013, the book is coming out in 2024, and everyone knows what the dominant rhetoric of the upcoming US president is.

All in all, I did love the idea behind this story, and I learnt a lot of life in North Korea. I just wish the issues mentioned above had been handled better. Regardless, this is a great option for anyone wanting an OwnVoices middle-grade option about one of the most restrictive countries in the world. Do note that the content gets quite intense at times. Parents/guardians/teachers, please read this book first and judge its suitability for the little ones in your life.

My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and HarperAlley for providing the DRC of “The Other Side of Tomorrow” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.