Review later! 
 Intriguing, I like the authenticity, the cultural integration, and etc. 
 I was under the assumption it took place Cold War era, but it didn't really specify until it mentioned a building from the 80's....and then it mentioned a ruler.... 
 so I narrowed it down to 1980-82 ish. 
 it's good that I could tell, but that's my one nitpick for this novel. I wish that it had been established right away, so I could divert all my attention to the other plot-central points. 
 in depth review to come