The Orphan Master's Son

A very readable dystopia about North Korea that was at times impressive, though maybe just a bit too long to make it one for the ages. I say that as I had seen prior to reading comparisons to Orwell's 1984 and that for this reader was a bridge too far. I wish it was so, but it was not.

Split into 2 half's the first, The Biography of Jun Do was outstanding. I read the entire part, all 220 pages in one session such was its power. I would add that if it had ended there, it would have been close to me declaring it a masterpiece. The life of the orphan was researched by the author, and he told a truly tragic tale of state power using and abusing in the hermit kingdom.
The 2nd part though an interesting tale of subterfuge and at times a graphic read just seemed a touch too contrived and long to this reader.

Be that as it may there was a certain element that was typical of what many novelists say in that they tell a story from truths they know of and events in this book, such as the kidnapping of foreign citizens by North Korean agents for example, had me scouring the internet to see the author had indeed researched his story extremely well.

Recommended to those that read dystopian literature.

Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son, is a creative telling and interpretation of what life may be like in the DPRK. As not much is known about the day-to-day lives of the North Koreans, Johnson sensibly weaves enough fictionality (loosely based on real experience) to communicate to the reader one person's interpretation of life in the DPRK, rather than attempting to communicate it as fact.

While many aspects of the book led to my “mildly-disappointed” 2-star rating, my strongest dislikes came from 1) a lack of strong, authentic voice, 2) an overly congested plot line, and 3) an emphasis on corruption in the DPRK with no “normalcy” to balance it out—a missing theme that could have provided meaningful dissonance when pinned against the symptoms of dystopian decay.


Favorite passage:

“‘A name isn't a person,' Ga said. ‘Don't ever remember someone by their name. To keep someone alive, you put them inside you, you put their face on your heart. Then, no matter where you are, they're always with you because they're a part of you.' He put his hands on their shoulders. ‘It's you that matter, not your names. It's the two of you I'll never forget.'”

The first part was phenomenal but I struggled with the second part. It just felt like it dragged. Also it feels like the main character is so detached? I mean understandably considering what he goes through but it also makes it hard to connect.

Story: 4.5 / 10
Characters: 6
Setting: 10
Prose: 7

I wonder if this is the last book I'll read. Seems like I read only bad books. Should I stop reading, move to comic books, or only read authors I already like?

One sentence synopsis... An imaginative portrait of a world hidden from us and the casual violence inflicted upon it's inhabitants: a North Korea rife with torture, propaganda, and innocence lost. .

Read it if you like... the writing is pretty Dickensian but the adventures are pure Fleming. .

Dream casting... Obviously Song Kang-ho as Pak Jun Do/“Commander Ga”. Let him play every character.

A book of 2 halves both equally good. A more concrete first half of life growing up, and most of all of time on the sea, followed by a more “absurdist” second half where everybody accepts the change in characted uf Jun Do, and where the writing blends Party propaganda with narrative. Both halves add up to a powerful book. I do have to remind myself that this is a work of fiction, but one thinks with a grain of truth

As a one-time resident of South Korea, I was keen to read this novel set in North Korea, and these days we all owe it to ourselves to learn more about that country and its leadership. But the first thing to remember about this book is that it is a work of fiction that takes advantage of the peculiarities of its setting. It's not strictly ABOUT North Korea. Instead, it's about one man who is trying to tell his own story and discover who he is. The pain that he endures, both physical and mental, are, in the book, real. The mental anguish would be just as real if the story were set elsewhere. So I think we have to look at the book as being one about the themes of the book: family, impostors, facades, deprivation, the lies we tell ourselves and others. And let's not worry about what the book may or may not be saying about the country of North Korea.

Such a great and well-written story

At first, I was impressed with this story. It began compelling and interesting. Then approximately 1/3 - 1/2 into the book, it really took a jump from well written to Pulitzer Prize-deserving. From that point, the story earned its place atop my five-star shelf. For those who have spent time interested in, or as students of North Korea, this will be particularly thrilling for you. The nature of the story seems so realistic against the true life stories shared by defectors from the DPRK. What's more, this novel was released two years prior to the release of [b:Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee—A Look Inside North Korea 20736640 Dear Leader Poet, Spy, Escapee—A Look Inside North Korea Jang Jin-sung https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397767877s/20736640.jpg 34433706] which convincingly (a true story) bears the realities of the Kim dynasty in North Korea and the mannerisms of Kim Jung-il. How Johnson came to personify Kim Jung-il with the realism he was able, verified by the Poet-Laureate of the DPRK is fabulous.

Ah jeeze. I know it's not cool to write about the book you wish the author had written, but man, I wish I had read a nonfiction book about contemporary life in North Korea instead. Does anyone have any good recommendations for a book like that??

That said, Adam Johnson has traveled in North Korea and has a lot of very vivid details about the surreal, Catch-22-y dystopia that is North Korea. (I kept doing Google fact checks because I wanted to see if weird shit in here was true or not. I KNOW I'M MISSING THE POINT BUT I CAN'T HELP IT.)

The plot is interesting. Some of the threads about identity seemed a little heavy handed... is that the point? Is that his technique? Maybe for me, this is a 3 star novel with a 4 star concept??

Half way into The Orphan Master's Son it is difficult to know what exactly is going on or what the outcome will be. The writing is good. The story has potential. But it's a little bit of a chore to get that far. It's the sort of novel that may be a little too easy to put aside with hopes of returning to another day. And it's the sort of novel that if you did set it aside would possibly be easy to forget about. This would be a mistake.

In its entirety, The Orphan Master's Son is quite a feat of storytelling. The unraveling! The nuances! Johnson has pieced together details so relevant, so numerous, I imagine I missed so much brilliance. It all fits together so perfectly.

If you haven't heard of this one yet, you probably will soon. It seems likely it will show up on some lists, maybe win an award or two; it'll likely be a favorite among book clubs. Fans of Life of Pi and Middlesex will eat this book up.

Adam Johnson just kills it in the Orphan Master's Son. To pull the veil on the Hermit Kingdom and render such a complex, multilevelled story is just an Herculean task. The book starts with our protagonist groping in the dark with only a vague sense of his surroundings, catching snippets of words from the outside world. Jun Do is the blank slate this world necessitates, a tool to be used. His name is a neat reminder of John Doe and an American later notes “I don't think a John Doe is a missing person, I think it's when you have the person, just not his identity”

“They lived in a land where people had been trained to accept any reality presented to them‚ and there was only one penalty, the ultimate one, for questioning reality, how a citizen could fall into great jeopardy for simply noticing that realities had changed.” And there Jun Do finds his answer and creates a new identity in the second half. Jun Do disappears.

It's peppered with enough gallows humour to keep it from getting mired in grim despair. Even the People's loudspeaker admonishing the North Koreans is a fully realized character. It's hard to know how much license the author takes, some have taken umbrage over the overly comical take on Kim Jong-il but then this was someone revered as both leader and religious figure who claimed to be able to change the weather based on his mood and regarded himself as a worldwide fashion trendsetter. If anything I worry that the author kept some of the more savage elements from the reader.

Do yourself a favor and forgo reading too many reviews if you're the type that hates spoilers. Everyone - mine included, give something away and it's one of those audacious books that has you guessing all the way through and surprises you at every turn. Fantastic read!