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The Orphan Master's Son [Hardcover]

Adam Johnson (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 16 Feb 2012

Citizens of our beloved Democratic Republic of North Korea! Imagine the life of an orphan boy plucked from nowhere to be trained as a tunnel assassin, a kidnapper, a spy.

He has no father but the State, no sweetheart but Sun Moon, the greatest opera star who ever lived, whose face is tattooed on his chest.

Imagine he lives in our very own country, a model of exemplary Communism. A nation that is the envy of the world, especially the Americans. Where the only stories people need to hear are those blasting out of loudspeakers to the glory of our dear Leader, Kim Jong il.

Dry your eyes now, comrades! Prepare to hear the Greatest North Korean Love Story Ever Told.

THE ORPHAN MASTER'S SON is an iconoclastic work of fiction, part thriller, part coming-of-age story, part love story. Dark, playful and genre-defying, its searing depiction of one man's epic journey through the surrealist brutality of North Korea shines a fierce light on the essence of the human condition.

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday (16 Feb 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0857520555
  • ISBN-13: 978-0857520555
  • Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 3.9 x 24 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 51,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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› Visit Amazon's Adam Johnson Page
Adam Johnson
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Product Description

Review

"An addictive novel of daring ingenuity; a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty; and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love. A brave and impressive book" (David Mitchell, Author Of The Thousand Autumns Of Jacob De Zoet )

"A flamboyantly grim epic of totalitarianism. this larger-than-life, two-fisted picaresque manages to be a page-turner... an ambitious book" (The Sunday Times )

"One of those books where you know you've found yourself in the hands of someone who can really tell a story, and is yet not naïve about the artificiality of stories. The conceit is fantastic: a narration partly told through the loud speakers of the North Korean regime." (Zadie Smith )

"A clever, wildly original novel, with an ultimately thrilling plot" (Daily Mirror )

"Adam Johnson has managed to capture the atmosphere of this hermit kingdom better than any writer I've read. The Orphan Master's Son deserves a place up there with dystopian classics such as Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World" (Barbara Demick, Author Of Nothing To Envy: Real Lives In North Korea Guardian )

Book Description

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION 2013 a young man's passage through prison camps and dictatorship of North Korea
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking yet often humorous story 17 Jun 2012
By AR VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Set in North Korea, this book follows the life of the orphan master's son, Jun Do, as he becomes a tunnel fighter, kidnapper, spy and national hero.

The book has the air of a fable, and also tells the story through propaganda, imagining the way it might actually be told in North Korea. Often the story assumes a humorous, almost tongue in cheek air, yet when you consider it as a work of fiction that is actually based on a lot of research into a real nation and its people, it becomes very tragic. Families are punished for the perceived misdeeds of one member, fathers refuse to trust their own sons, and people will risk their lives for a meal of flowers.

Despite carrying out some horrible deeds, Jun Do manages to remain a compelling and sympathetic protagonist, a good man forced to commit atrocities by a cruel state that will turn on him all too quickly if he doesn't comply. The story leads him in picaresque fashion from one adventure to another, supported by a rich cast of characters who all have their own tragic stories.

This book can be taken on two levels, as a simple tale of one man's journey through life and suffering, but also as a very intelligent exploration of a secretive nation that is unfamiliar to many. Entertaining yet extremely thought-provoking, made all the more compelling by the notes that reveal the level of research carried out by the author, and his own travels in North Korea.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant 21 Dec 2011
By Existentialist. VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This is a clever, well constructed tale about a mysterious country that has taken on added significance with the death of Kim JONG-iL. Korea has some 10 lane motorways but few motors. There was a famine in the nineties caused by the incompetence of the weird 'Dear leader.' A land of subsistence living for the peasants and insane extravagant, depraved behaviour for the Yong-iL clan. Kim fancied himself as Elvis with his buffon hairstyle and had an insatiable appetite for most things that his people couldn't even dream of. Many of 'his people' are eating grass or being maltreated in horrendous labour camps.
Pak Jun Do has what is prized most by the powerful in North Korea-loyalty and indifference to suffering. Pak Jun Do murders someone and takes their place. Dictatorships stay in power by being completely unpredictable and hence creating terror of breaking laws that are always changing. Break a law and you are dead or in a labour camp with your whole family. He meets a girl called Sun Moon and so the story becomes a heady mixture of thriller, tenderness and romance; with plenty of craziness thrown in. It is a cruel read at times as this is a harsh society that doesn't respect human rights. Well worth reading and will be around for a long time to come hopefully. My wife and I both read it which was good as we could discuss all the interesting intricacies of this fascinating book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A rare fictional insight into the secretive N Korean regime 8 Nov 2012
By Ripple TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
There are very few novels set in modern day North Korea - with good reason. The political regime is so secretive and alien that research must be a nightmare. It's very hard to gauge how accurate a representation Adam Johnson's book is of this but it seems to be at least plausible and generally believable. What he does so well is to move from the opening slightly smug "isn't the propaganda thing a bit funny in terms of what people there believe" to making the reader really care and understand how shocking the effects of this can be on the individual lives of the people there. There are scenes of horrific suffering but Johnson retains a light touch wherever he can - so the Dear Leader, Kim Jon iL, is presented at times as being "lonely" in a nice nod to You Tube clips.

Johnson's hero, Jun Do, grows up in an orphanage run by his father. However he presents a mixture of people from all levels of society - there are those who believe in the myth of the leader and the propaganda, those who know the truth and use it to their own advantage and those who know the truth and use it just to survive. The challenge for a fiction writer is of course that it relies on personal stories and in a political culture like North Korea the individuality is suppressed.

The setting is fascinating and original and that does much to offset some of the aspects that perhaps stretch belief a little. It's hard to believe that Jun Do's lack of commitment to the cause would allow him to hold some of the positions that he finds himself in for example, but interchanging roles seems to be part of the model and presumably the argument against this goes that the leadership don't even question that everyone buys in to the story and aren't just compliant through fear.

At first the narrative is split between Jun Do's story and the official announcements of the State but later on we also get the story of an Interrogator. While this introduces a vital element to the story the mixture of the three strands doesn't always feel as smooth as it could do. However, it is a fascinating subject and a highly original book that celebrates the human spirit in impossible conditions. There's humour, a love story and fascinating insight into a mysterious country. Johnson is well worth reading - this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as a not unrelated movie might have put it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars one hell of a good read
Fantastic story that took me by surprise. It takes a good 200 pages before you really get the gist of what is happening but it feels great when it all fits into place. Read more
Published 1 day ago by M. Johnson
4.0 out of 5 stars You only realise how good this book is when you are most of the way...
I took this book on holiday and it is better to read it in long sessions than my normal way of reading before I go to sleep at night. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Pam
5.0 out of 5 stars Strange but probably true to life.
Having been to North Korea about 15 years ago, it is exactly what I would expect of the North Korean regime..
though later some of it a bit improbable. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Miss Jackie Paling
4.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable, but very good.
When I was deciding whether or not to buy this book, I read a quote from Adam Johnson saying something like 'No one knows what it is really like in North Korea, so I had to use my... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Ben
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent.
North Korea is one of the most unknown and isolated societies on Earth. As a result, it is almost a complete mystery to outsiders. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Lily
4.0 out of 5 stars A Catch 22 of this North Korean story: grand propaganda of harsh...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Initially faintly amused by Oriental stereotypes (read the first few pages like the protagonist from Team America: World Police) I wondered at the... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Jack Chakotay
5.0 out of 5 stars The Orphan Master's Son - Adam Johnson
I admit, if i had read about this book a year or two ago I probably wouldn't have been quite so intrigued by it. Read more
Published 19 days ago by RachelWalker
5.0 out of 5 stars All The Stage Is A World
This is a book about indoctrination. Life in North Korea is imagined through the prism of Orwell. Many of the tricks and insights in 1984 are deployed or extended here. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Freelancer Frank
4.0 out of 5 stars Ripley Returns
It's hard to judge whether Adam Johnson is incredibly prescient or just downright lucky. Setting your debut novel in North Korea and finding it published at precisely the moment... Read more
Published 1 month ago by P. G. Strachan
5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive and eye-opening
I saw this book being discussed on Bookriot and knew I had to read it.

At first I just thought it was a good read, but as the chapters went on and the different plot... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Emily
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