Love the book, love the cover, love the concept, love the characters! I will give a full review on my Goodreads shortly, but I will definitely be picking this book up asap

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of “Oxford Soju Club.”

We follow three groups of characters: the North Koreans “studying” at Oxford, a South Korean restaurant owner nearby, and a Korean-American CIA agent keeping tabs on the North Koreans.

The first sentence reveals that one of North Koreans has been found dead in an alleyway. Through a mix of present-day events and flashbacks with alternating POVs, we learn who these people are, what their motivations are, and at the heart of the mystery - who killed the North Korean.

This book was a fast read. Although it is labeled as a mystery/thriller, I found myself more captivated by the flashbacks, which provided insight into the characters’ pasts before their paths converged. With all the constant back and forth with timelines and POVs, I honestly forgot about the “main plot” and struggled to connect with most of the characters. I almost wish the book had been to allow for deeper character developer and connection.

I enjoyed the social commentary on the Korean identity as I found it quite relatable as a Vietnamese-American. I wish there had been more flashbacks to pivotal events that helped shaped the characters’ perspectives rather than just telling us what happened.

Overall, a really interesting and unique story!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

new year new me and 2025 has me reading korean literature?? i thought the cover was rad and the title is iconic. as a soju drinker i 100% had to read this book. the synopsis reads like an espionage spy thriller kind of thing centred around a korean restaurant Oxford Soju Club. somehow all the characters grew on me, and the diasphora (chat am i using this word right) about being korean is done so well in a way that it kind of reminds me of Babel (RF Kuang)??

i love how being korean is explored in three perspectives — a north korean spy, a south korean restaurant owner and an american korean (also) spy. i love how this book jumps around in time to show us the lives of the various characters, placed strategically, i assume, to cause the most emotional damage. it is smart, and i love how the backstory comes together, though usually when a story is complete, there is only the end left.

the one that stuck most with me was Jihoon, surprisingly the only uninvolved, innocent party in this. okay i am partial to him because i love korean food and anyone who makes it, but his life is no doubt a tragedy, from his life in korea with his mother and her restaurant and not wanting to go to university to his mother's death and eventually settling down in oxford with his own restaurant. he is honestly a bright ray of sunshine in this rather dark story and (spoilers!!) when he was shot and killed, i suddenly understood why even the stone cold Yunah and Deoksu mourned him. it was heartbreaking, to see that he never got the family and life he wanted for himself in the end, even though he was happy until the end.

but of course this is very much Yohan's story. the influence Doha and his death had on him ripples throughout the book, and i love how he was never given a choice in his life. Dr Ryu and Doha (their story and friendship ripped me to bits!! utter tragedy) chose for him to live, to take him under his wing. the americans gave him the choice to side with them and flee, only for the ones offering be killed. the pain. it was devastating that he finally found comaraderie in Yunah only for it to end so quickly.

and i love how the perspectives changed from the Northerner, the Southerner and the American to the Exiled (Dr Ryu), the Rejected (Yunah) and the Nameless (Yohan), because once you've read the story everything just clicks.

" live. Yohan-a. live." <- the koran literature version of "live manon live" CRYING.

" going around pretending to be one of us just because you look like us, but you're not like us. you're not korean. you don't have an ounce of who we are in you. " Deoku's lines HIT.

" when you're older, your heart grows tired. time gets to us all. " what happens if your heart is already tired??

the only way i can describe it is that this was thought provoking and heartbreaking. and to think, this was the author's debut?? excited for what else he will write!!

An intriguing title that instantly draws you in! This novel combines elements of espionage, identity, and cultural conflict, following the intertwined lives of three spies: a Korean American, a North Korean, and a South Korean. Their stories expose the complexities of nationalism, loyalty, and the struggle for survival. Something that stands out about this book is how it captures the immense pressure faced by Korean immigrants. Having lived in South Korea as an outsider, I’ve seen how strict social expectations can shape one’s identity and sense of belonging. The author does an exceptional job of portraying this struggle, peeling back the layers of performance and self-preservation. The characters are incredibly relatable. They are flawed yet fascinating and I found myself empathizing with their dilemmas, even when their choices felt morally complicated. The storytelling is tense and emotional, with each twist hitting hard. There is something unique and intimate about how the book explores identity, showing how the how various interpretations of being "Korean" can coexist and clash. I was completely absorbed. I can’t wait to add a physical copy to my shelf. If you’re debating reading this, do it.

Oxford Soju Club may be touted as a spy thriller, but I believe the plot goes much deeper than that. It explores a striking clash of identities against the brutal political backdrop of different nations.

There were times I was rendered befuddled and times when I questioned whether this even qualifies as a thriller. That being said, I did find myself stuck to the story like glue, waiting to find out how it all unfurls. Nevertheless, I think this was a great debut which perhaps teeters more towards the side of literary fiction than the “mystery” genre.

2.75 ⭐️

Thank you Net Galley and Dundurn Press for the ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up! This debut novel from Jinwoo Park publishing Sept 2, 2025 is a spy mystery on the outside but on the inside a story about belonging and identity. The story follows three main characters: a Korean American CIA agent, a North Korean spy and a South Korean restaurateur. Not only do we meet these characters in the present day but also growing up and in their pasts to see what brought them to where they are. Good twists and plot lines throughout! Nice debut!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is the type of book you could read over and over again and still find something new to dissect. Thrilling and engaging, I couldn't put it down. I felt like I had to keep reading in order to understand what was happening - I loved every second.

Emigrating to a new country is never easy—different roads, different food, and faces unlike your own. It is even more challenging when the country in question is the enemy. Yohan Kim and his spymaster, Doha, find themselves in precisely this situation. While they sit in the bars and restaurants of the university city of Oxford, masquerading as a professor and his French-Japanese protégé, they are, in reality, gathering intelligence for the Supreme Leader of North Korea.

When Yohan discovers Doha bleeding in a back alley, beyond the point of being saved, he is left with only a single cryptic message: *"Soju Club, Dr Ryu."* With no idea of what lies ahead, but knowing he must reach the Soju Club, Yohan embarks on a journey fraught with uncertainty.

The Soju Club, a restaurant in Oxford, is run by Jihoon, a South Korean immigrant who rarely strays from his establishment. His greatest fulfilment comes from feeding others—a way to feel closer to his mother, who once did the same. Food is a central theme throughout this novel, intricately woven into its narrative, exploring its cultural significance and the way it shapes identity and relationships.

***"Jihoon, food doesn’t just nourish you. It affects a person in an incomparable way," his mother once told him. "The experience of taste—there’s a whole world there. It changes people, it makes them whole."***

This deep connection to food is also shared by Yunah, the third key character. She often reminisces about her childhood, spent with her grandmother, who insisted on preparing special dishes whenever she visited. The novel beautifully portrays food as a love language, a means of connection that transcends petty squabbles and unites generations.

***"During summers when she returned home from university, her mother would cook all her favourite Korean dishes. It didn’t matter how busy it got at the bagel shop—her mother always made time to feed Yunah."***

It is this unspoken bond that draws the main characters together in a Montague-and-Capulet-style conflict. Yohan is a Korean-American working for the CIA. Jihoon is a South Korean restaurateur. Yohan is a North Korean spy. Despite this, they all find a semblance of kinship in this little green-bottled oasis in the heart of Oxford.

***"As they stand side by side, smoking, she feels as though they have always been friends, even though they have never exchanged any words beyond ordering from the menu. Her father used to tell her that Koreans naturally gravitate towards one another, no matter where they are. She used to scoff at this, dismissing it as silly, nostalgia-driven bias."***

This novel, while offering a gripping spy thriller set in the aftermath of Kim Jong-il’s death and Kim Jong-un’s succession, is also a poignant exploration of belonging, identity, and the meaning of cultural heritage. Packed with action and unexpected twists, Jinwoo Park’s debut is a thrilling journey through the streets of Oxford that will intrigue fans of espionage fiction—and certainly leave them ‘hungry’ for more.

As a debut novel, I found the book to be engaging and kept me interested the entire time I was reading it. However, I found it really hard to distinguish the characters and figure out what’s going on. The latter part kept me going because I thought all of characters and their stories will untangle and reveal a big twist, but nothing really ended up happening.
The way the e-book was presented also caused issues to follow and separate paragraphs and timelines of the story.

I think I would have loved a more in depth character building and more insight into the lives of the spies.

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing me a ARC copy!

Perhaps it's just me, because I am unfamiliar with how spy networks operate (who is?), but I found this novel quite difficult to follow. Also, the names were so similar (to a non-Korean reader, at least) that it wasn't easy to work out who the author was referring to at any given moment. I *think* it's a competently-written novel, with the right amount of tension, suspense and blind alleys, but I'm really not in a confident position to judge and would hesitate to recommend this book to anyone else. May other readers decide for themselves whether or not to give it a go.

Many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.

I’m not entirely sure how to even start this review. I just finished this book, literally less than five minutes ago, and all I can seem to think is how quietly devastating this book was. Every POV character in this book has a potent sense of lament buried deep within their fundamental makeup. This sorrow is only revealed in small, almost off-hand comments; a quiet admission, like an act of surrender. The form it carries varies for each character - from never knowing what it is like to have a family to having a family and losing it - the bone deep sorrow bleeds through for each of them.

For the sake of honesty, I did not think I was going to be a fan of the writing style. While the first line was intriguing, I was put-off by how simplistic the first scene read. Reminiscent of “see spot run” but rather than reading about a dog running it was about a man bleeding out in alley from a knife wound. However, once I got into the story, I did not notice the style so much and even realized at some point it was fitting for the setting considering our viewpoints were from espionage operatives.

I also think it worth noting how the author managed to pack so much emotion into a simpler writing style. Some of my favorite scenes were simply Jihoon prepping food for the restaurant. The way it was written managed to give off a sense of warmth and contentment, similar to how one feels watching a cooking scene in a Ghibli movie.

Overall, I was very surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed reading it. A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, the author, and anyone else involved in allowing me the honor of being allowed to read this ARC. I will definitely be purchasing this book upon its release. I understand this is also a debut novel, so best of luck to the author for their future endeavors; I will keep an eye out for future releases.

That's the freshest and most unique idea for a book I have read so far this year. The fates of three Koreans with different backgrounds and ideologies revolve around one Soju Club in Oxford and the personality of the mysterious Dr. Ryu.

The author declared that this book is a metaphor for how the immigrant Koreans wear masks to survive in the new society. I certainly saw that at the end as one large picture. I did notice that the characters grew and changed, becoming more honest with themselves throughout the story. I enjoyed particularly that the author changes the nicknames of the different narrators throughout the story, and I thought this was a clever idea.

Also, the description of Americans was kinda fun to read. The author captured the psychology of the immigrants well, especially the one from North Korea. I was quite amazed that the author compared the Leader to Paul Atreides from "Dune". 

So why did I rate the book only 3 stars? 

1. While the beginning and ending of the book were engaging, the middle section was unfortunately not. The writing felt monotonous, and it was difficult to stay focused on the plot.

2. In my opinion, the author concentrated too much on the characters' actions rather than their emotions. Sometimes there were too many action-focused tedious sentences without providing any clues about the characters' emotional states. That is also the reason, why I felt nothing for them and couldn't empathize with them.

3. The dialogues were occasionally excessively long. I don't think people naturally talk with 3-4 sentences each turn in real life. 

4. Although there weren't many overly explanatory sentences when they did appear, they felt too obvious. For example:

"He likes the sound of jjimdak, but he is not satisfied with her answer. He wants her to try again, think bigger."

"As he walks away and looks back to his smiling mother, he thinks about how he doesn’t particularly want to go to university. He wants to stay with her, in the restaurant."

"Despite Jihoon telling them Junichi doesn’t speak Korean, the old men continue talking in their language. As if it will all somehow get through to him."

Still, it's a good debut and I will certainly be reading the author's next book. Thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I was trying something different and outside my comfort zone when I requested this, and it was a good choice. I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire story.

I’m not sure if centering the spy thriller aspect was the best choice because this was so much more. It was an insight into the Korean diaspora and the way nationality and exploration of identity intersect. I find the character study almost as or even more interesting than the overarching spy plot. I liked the separation of POVs between “The Northerner”, “The Southerner”, and “The American.”

I’m not sure if it was intentional but the writing did feel disorganized a bit, but at the same time, I feel like it makes it rereadable, there’s sure to be a different hint or clue to find through each read. However, for such a short book, the ending felt bogged down with the circular nature of the subplot resolutions, which ruined the pacing to me. The timeline jumping also felt hard to pinpoint at times, it took me a paragraph or two to realize when I was. Otherwise, this was an interesting debut and I’m looking forward to Jinwoo Park’s next book.

Although I did go into this book with a full expectation of spy/action mixed with Korean migration stories, the level of personal conflict within identity and culture surpassed my expectations. Even though we are experiencing the gritty nature of spy-work, we are really given the time to understand each character and their motivations fully.

I was obsessed with the way he included cultural references, such as specific recipes, dishes and national holidays, without over explaining these. It wasn’t about dumbing anything down or pandering to a non-Korean audience, it trusted readers who don't already know to do the work and learn the deeper meanings on their own.

I cannot wait to see what he writes next!

Soju Club follows a North Korean spy, an immigrant from South Korea, and a first-generation Korean American spy as they collide in Oxford. These three perspectives lead the book to have a hypnotizing rhythm and quick pace. While the first half is spent introducing and building the characters, the second half takes a sharp and exciting turn with edgy writing.

The ending felt a bit predictable but I don’t think that is a weakness. The plot gives space for the characters to question their identity, relations with family, and loyalty alongside a whodunit storyline pushing the narrative. The highlight of this book is those captured experiences of not knowing how one stands with their identity.

Thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for providing a free digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Interesting in that the character exploration was laid out well - the people searching and exploring their identity but there were far too many full stops. The sentences were short and jarring and distracted me from the story. However, I feel that if I tried to read this again I would be able to piece it together better and enjoy it from a different perspective.

A good debut novel, would be better if there were longer sentences.

If you like complex spy thrillers, this is for you. Don't let the length fool you into thinking this will be a quick and easy read. With multiple perspectives, shifting chronology and tautly controlled plot, you need to concentrate!

3.5 stars! thx netgalley for the arc!! i loved the cover and the title and then found out the author is a tiktoker!

this book was a fun exploration of the korean diaspora in the format of a whodunnit, following a north korean, a south korean, and a korean american as their journeys intersect in a restaurant called Soju Club in Oxford.

it overall was a quick engaging read, with quick POV changes and multiple timelines. i enjoyed getting to know some of the characters (jihoon was my fav) but the book felt a little too short and a lot of characters storylines felt like they were cut short (which maybe was the point). the mystery/thriller also wasn’t that exciting for me & the plot twist was pretty predictable. i fear i may forget the plot in a couple months. nonetheless the writing was still good so im intrigued to see what Park writes next!

I first want to thank the publisher and Net Galley for the free advanced copy. I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I was expecting Korean mystery but this book is so much more than that! Korean mystery meets cultural identity and belonging. This book follows Yohan, Jihoon and Yunah who are undercover spies playing cat and mouse with each other. The author chose to use their spy names some times and their real names at other points. I found this to be a bit confusing and hard to follow, but I was able to keep up using context clues. I really enjoyed each character but I think they could have been a bit more developed. Switching from present to past really helped build the characters but I was left craving a bit more from each character. This is a pretty short book so I think it could have been a bit longer and fleshed out. Without giving away spoilers, I will say I loved the ending.

A letter from the author at the beginning of the book explained that he modeled the characters after him and his experiences trying to assimilate. I definitely agree that was a main theme throughout the book. For being a debut, I think it’s really strong and if he comes out with more in the future, I will definitely be reading them.

I absolutely loved this. An excellent look into identity all wrapped up as a pseudo-spy novel that deals with how immigrants interact and make relationships with each other. National identity is explored in an engaging and exciting way, opening up an avenue for intense conversation that other readers may not have been privy to.