Ostensibly a spy thriller but delivered an in-depth character review of North and South Korean diaspora and the relations between North Korea, South Korea and America.

Challenging and thought-provoking representation of racial stereotyping a fascinating glimpse into the world and struggles for this (white British) untargeted audience. I don't know how the author made me feel a connection, made me feel sympathy, for a deliberately nebulous character. His depth is hidden in layers of shallow nonentity and through that skimming over I found a place where I felt I knew him enough to see what it was he truly wanted - and hoped he'd get it.

I wasn't expecting to be as moved as I was; again, I was expecting a spy thriller but the author deftly plumbed the depths of his characters trials in a successfully sympathy-inducing manner. A Shakespearean tragedy dressed as a thriller.

thank you to netgalley and the author for providing me with an eArc in exchange for my honest thoughts. Oxford Soju Club follows a few different people as they navigate the world of spies/espionage, life/loss, identities and belonging. On the surface it reads like a typical spy book, lots of vague personas, carefully put together plans/thwarting the opposing side, etc. But at its heart it provides a deeper look at getting to know oneself outside of where youve always been told you belong, learning to think for oneself and the relationships that bind us. I enjoyed the storyline and the underlying message. My only issues would be my issue with most spy stories, sometimes its a little hard to feel connected to the characters when they are not who they say they are/have intricate stories about themselves that are not true. overall i rated it 3.5 (4 rounded up).

I was drawn to this book for both its mystery/thriller vibes, but also because tackles something that all immigrants deal with - identity, and being a part of the diaspora when you live outside of your home country. While short, I think this book dealt with both in each storyline where spies and normal restaurant owners were reconciling their past and their present. While some of it was a bit cliche, it worked as a whole to highlight that being an immigrant is not one size fits all. I did struggle a bit at the beginning to parse out the different points of view, and then the switch to first person, but overall a cohesive read. 3.75 stars.

Thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

When I first saw the cover, I was intrigued by the title. Based on the synopsis, I knew this book was going to be different from the ones I've read before and I was not mistaken. Initially, I was expecting an action-packed spy novel, but what I found was much more interesting. While there are elements of secret missions, cover stories, and deceit, the book was more about the internal struggles of the characters. Their backgrounds, how they shaped who they are, their moral compass, and how the line between what's right and wrong can get really blurry. It's an interesting exploration of the concept of identity and belonging. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and read it very quickly, despite the fact that I found some moments slightly confusing. Nevertheless, I recommend this read to anyone who's interested in Korean culture and it's aspects and I'm looking forward to Jinwoo Park's next book.

A spy thriller set in Oxford, the story follows:
- Yohan, a North Korean spy, after his handler has been killed
- Jihoon, a South Korean running Oxford’s only Korean restaurant (the eponymous Soju Club)
- Yunah, a Korean-American CIA agent tasked with keeping tabs on the North Korean presence in Oxford.

While it’s a spy novel on the outside the book really shines in its portrayal of identity, immigration experiences, and being a part of a diaspora. Particularly interesting in reference to hyo (孝 filial piety) - which was probably why I enjoyed Jihoon’s storyline the most.

A satisfying plot, if slightly cliché in places. But these clichés exist for a reason and they’re well executed.

Initially I found the timeline a little confusing. In the first half the chapters are divided into sub chapters: The Northerner, The Southerner, The American. With the former two further divided into present and flashback sequences. Then in the second half the sub chapters become: The Exiled, The Rejected, The Nameless (with The Exiled switching to first person). It took a while to get a grip on but once I did I thought the structure was great!

I was really intrigued by this book's premise and how the author was going to integrate the lives of spies into their story. However, while I was expecting a thrilling and action filled story, it surprised me by being more restrained and calm in it's telling. This in itself isn't bad, just not what I expected. I really loved the references to the cultures and upbringings of the various characters, but all in all it was just a bit too boring for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing me with this ARC.

After I finished Oxford Soju Club, I knew I had to write this review, but I found that I was dumbfounded with a lack of words to describe this beautiful emotional roller coaster of a book. Reminiscent of Babel, Oxford Soju Club details
the lives of a north Korean spy and his handlers, a south Korean restaurateur, and a Korean-American CIA agent. I was hooked to read this book because of its spy thriller at oxford theme, but I have come out the other end awestruck at this intense narrative or Korean identity and espionage. You cannot help but love the main characters as they struggle in their quest to find themselves. Filled with mouthwatering culinary dishes, academia, and turns at every corner, Oxford Soju Club is an incredible novel. My only complaint is that there was not more of it to read, and I also need to go google translate some funny anecdotes! This book talks about murder and suicide so be prepared if you read it.

I read this book in a day. I could not put it down. When I started reading the book, I thought it was going to be a spy thriller type of book. I was not ready for what came next. This book gave me a lot to think about. It’s a book about duty, about doing what we’re taught to believe is the right thing, about survival, about love that we share with the people in our lives, but above all, it is about finding who we truly are - beneath the layers of different identities and selves that we accumulate over the years. Maybe it just feels that much more impactful for me as someone who is far from home and is at times thrown into an identity crisis. What do we live for? Are we all just trying to go home at the end of it all? Whatever home means to us all.
My two favourite snippets from the book:
- No place can be paradise. There’s something wrong with every place. People are just trading one kind of misery for another.
- The world is not a place to fear and cower from. It is a place to discover who you are. Time is of no importance. No one ever has enough time. You simply stumble forward, with each stride carrying its own special mistake.
I’m so glad I got to read this book and I cannot wait for it to be released so that other people can read it too. This is definitely one of those books that stays with you long after you have finished reading it.

Interestingly different spy story, set in Oxford. A North Korean spy and his young protegee are based there and carry out missions across Europe. The older spy is killed and Yohan the younger, has only his dying words to guide him - that he should look for their boss in Oxford's only Soju bar. Teams of American and South Korean spies are also at work, trying to find out what the Northerners are up to, and who their boss is. Yohan will have to live on his wits to avoid capture or death. Full of action and intrigue, its a terrific story.

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for this arc of Oxford Soju Club.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get into this read. But I will say the writing was nice and the author has a way of telling a story that I’m sure many would enjoy. I just think this specific story wasn’t for me as I had thought it would be. Therefore, I don’t have much to say or comment about this novel.

Thank you again for this opportunity!

I really tried to get into this one, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me. The fast pacing was a highlight and helped move things along, but the multiple POVs and scattered narrative structure made it difficult to follow. Transitions between perspectives felt abrupt, and I often found myself confused about who was speaking or what was happening.

The characters were hard to keep track of, which made it even more challenging to connect with the story. I genuinely struggled to follow the plot—something I fully acknowledge is partly on me. Without any prior knowledge of the historical context, especially regarding Korean history, I found myself lost more often than not.

A. Writing Style
⭐⭐⭐: Clear and competent, with moments of beauty or insight.

B. Character Development
⭐⭐⭐: Well-rounded characters with depth, though some may lack complexity.

C. Plot
⭐⭐: Disjointed and lacks structure. (It's a me problem!)

D. Theme
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Deep, complex themes that invite reflection and exploration.

E. Emotional Impact
⭐⭐: Some emotional moments, but they lack depth or are underwhelming.

F. Overall Enjoyment/Impact
⭐: Unenjoyable or a chore to read; doesn’t leave any lasting impression.

This book has clear potential and could really shine for readers who enjoy multi-POV narratives and have a background or interest in Korean history. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to fully appreciate it, but I can definitely see it resonating with the right audience.

Though shorter than i expected, this book encompasses a crazy cat and mouse game between both spies and unsuspecting migrants in the city of oxford. We have a korean-american cia agent, a north korean spy and a south korean restaurant owner whos lives have become inexplicably intertwined,
Our author Jinwoo writes the oxford soju club as in part a metaphor of the competition between korean immigrants, but also in how immigrants hide behind masks to hide their identities for survival in a society they stick out in. Each character is intended to be a different mask, the assimilator, the model character, and the one who ignores those and aims to be themself and embrace their korean identity - this book is certainly a journey of self-discovery for our author.
It leaves powerful messages about the harm of labelling people, whether that be by race, ethnicity or more and how it puts them in a box, and especially for a debut is only what i can summarise as a powerful masterpiece.
Recommended for fans of Viet Thanh Nguyen's the spymaster and Celeste Ng's everything i never told you, this is for the fans of espionage, the thrill of the chase while still being critical and reflective in a way unique to other books I've read in the genre.

Thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this story! It presents itself as a tense spy thriller, but underlying this is a thoughtful examination of identity and regret. Through an assortment of POV characters from starkly-different backgrounds, Park cleverly explores how the ghosts of our pasts can inform our futures, as well as the things that can bind you to and divide you from other members of your diaspora community.

There were two very minor elements that I thought could perhaps have been tweaked. It felt at times like the Magpie occupied too much importance to the action of the story, given that the Soju Club is framed as the central venue connecting all the POV characters. Having a second hospitality venue as a major setting detracted somewhat from the centrality of the SC. Possibly some of the narrative functions of the Magpie could have been absorbed by the SC.

It also seemed to me like OSC had more to say about American-Korean dynamics than it did about English-Korean ones, which at times made the characters and action feel somewhat divorced from their environment. This was exacerbated by both one of the POV characters and one of the main spy factions being American. The story could almost have been set in America instead, but if not, it could possibly have commented more on how the various characters viewed and engaged with their English setting.

Even so, I enjoyed this immensely. The prose is delightful without being purple, and I found the plot gripping, thanks also to the array of vivid characters that I ended up variously rooting for (and moved by).

It’s always great for me to dive into new cultures and new themes of which I don’t know that much about. It was a great read, engrossing and with a lot of heart.

Thanks to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for ARC.

Oxford is the elegant if unlikely setting for this spy thriller, where North and South Korean and USA interests all intersect, with messy results at the time of regime change in one of the countries concerned.
It meditates on immigrant identities (which I have some experience of) and specific issues about the various Korean experiences of identity (which is not something I'm familiar with at all, although it seems easier than ever before to get some Korean literature in English translation).

I found this book satisfying, occasionally dizzying. The multifaceted, fast-paced plot and many personas of individual characters could make it difficult to follow at first, but as I moved further into it I enjoyed it more and more. I will be looking forward to more from this writer.

A very enjoyable book. Its structure is simple but it works, and there are cool plot twists I did not see coming. The story slowly gains more depth as it progresses, dragging its readers in time and space, always coming back to Oxford, early 2012. I was particularly interested in the questions of belonging, in the characters’ sense of self as ethnically-Korean people living (by choice or not) outside of Korea.

Oxford Soju Club is a novel that encourages you to live your own life, to be who you want to be and go where you want to go. It’s really about having the freedom to choose. A real privilege when you think about it, which makes you root for Yohan all the more. In that regard, the ending is good and somewhat makes up for the underwhelming thriller aspect of the book.

The narrative voice is what really stands out here—wry, honest, and completely engaging. It brings a fresh perspective to familiar themes. A quietly powerful read with lasting impact.

Always love a book set in Oxford, the prestige is an excellent tone. Also love the themes of identity in this book between North Korean, South Koreans na Korean American. I couldn’t stop reading

I do not feel like I am the target audience for this book. I had a hard time getting into this book. Once into the book, I found it to be confusing and difficult to follow. I saw somewhere the author was trying to make a statement about Korean culture and I have to admit I am not well educated in that area. Thus, I think most of the statement went above my head.

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC. A big thank you!

Oxford Soju Club is a mystery thriller about the different Korean diasporas: North Korea, South Korea, and Korean Americans, with themes of identity and freedom of choice. A 4-star rating for me.

At first, it was a little difficult to keep track of who was who, but as the story progresses, we gradually discover each of the three characters and who they are, despite their different identities and the various time jumps. By the end of the story, everything makes sense, and we understand the purpose of some characters.

The plot is interesting. However, a knowledge of Korean history helps us understand certain points in the story and words whose meaning are not really explained in the story. For those with little or no knowledge of Korean customs and traditions, it might be annoying not knowing the context of certain words that aren't explained in the book, even if they aren't directly related to the novel's story. On the other hand, I enjoyed the various Korean traditions presented throughout the novel.

I still enjoyed the story from beginning to end—a good start for the author's first novel!