The Orphan Master's Son

A Novel

By: Adam Johnson

Narrated by: Tim Kang, Josiah D. Lee, James Kyson Lee, Adam Johnson

Length: 19 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2013

An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master’s Son follows a young man’s journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world’s most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea.

Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother - a singer “stolen” to Pyongyang - and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return.

Considering himself “a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world,” Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress “so pure, she didn’t know what starving people looked like.”

Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Master’s Son is also a riveting portrait of a world heretofore hidden from view: a North Korea rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love. A towering literary achievement, The Orphan Master’s Son ushers Adam Johnson into the small group of today’s greatest writers.

From the Hardcover edition.

©2011 Adam Johnson (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

• Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

“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 - The Orphan Master’s Son is a brave and impressive book.” (David Mitchell, author of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet)

“I’ve never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master’s Son is a masterpiece.” (Charles Bock, author of Beautiful Children)

“Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters, whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel.” (Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone)

Fascinating story

I have little knowledge about North Korea. This book and the way it was written was captivating and provided a glimpse of the lives of the people in the country.

Follows you like a ghost

The tunnels, a key theme, sum up this story -- very dark, but occasional mysterious sounds and touches of humanity can propel even the most victimized onward in search of a bit of light. I put the book down a few times -- torture is just too hard to read -- but picked it right back up as I was haunted by the main character and vivid images -- men on a ship in complete darkness listening to a woman rowing across the ocean each night; Sun Moon crying over Casablana; the absurd so-scary-that-they-feel-possibly-real diplomatic exchanges (North Koreans trying on boots in Texas?!)...
I don't know a lot about North Korea, and hesitate to write this review given what more-informed readers have posted and the whiff Tom Clancy that I smell, but...this is definitely a well-crafted, unique story. And I'm going to read more about NK.

Brilliant

I have to disagree with Tim ??? quite strongly actually.

This story comes together like a jigsaw puzzle. Different characters give us their (incomplete) part of the story so the reader/listener is left to figure out what is actually happening. The Korean names and dialogue made my understanding slower but after listening to it a couple of times, I can???t stop thinking about it. I think Mr. Johnson did a brilliant job of telling a complicated story.

The level of human misery, cruelty and pathological ideas depicted makes North Korea, in my opinion, the leader in long list of notorious practitioners. History books as well as novels are not shy about adding imaginative ways to hurt people and/or animals but the NK regime certainly beats them all in that respect. It is so hard to believe it has gone on for so long.

If a North Korean slipped through Alice???s looking glass, he/she would no doubt feel right at home in Wonderland ,, well , if you add lots of cruelty.

The book is well written and the narration is spot on.

Stephen King's 2013 Recommendation

Any additional comments?

Not only did Adam Johnson's "The Orphan Master's Son" (Orphan) win the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, but Stephen King listed the book as the 2013 top work of fiction (Entertainment Magazine, 12/2013). The purpose of Johnson's book is to expose the world to the way of life North Korea citizens must endure. The author accomplishes this by depicting the life events of one man, Jun Do, whose adventures covers the spectrum of citizenship; orphan to hero.Through Jun Do’s story, the reader is exposed to North Korea’s exploitation of citizens, government propaganda, philosophy of leadership, and control of the masses through coercion.

Jun Do’s story is interesting enough, but the books purpose is to put you in touch with the daily living conditions of the North Korean people as controlled and dictated by a sinister ruling party. The genius of Johnson’s work is that the information gleaned by the reader never seems forced or a work of nonfiction. Elements of the North Korean lifestyle are woven seamlessly into the overarching story. The reader never feels they are attending a lecture or education seminar.

As a reader, I had some basic background information about the repressive North Korean government ruled by the now deceased Kim Jong-Il. However, Orphan brings to life the graphic reality the North Korean people experience. Orphan will open your eyes to the despotic/Orwellian nightmare of North Korea.

The narration of Orphan is excellent. My only criticism of Orphan is it’s about 100 pages too long. There are small sections of the book that are overwritten that serve to collectively frustrate the reader. However, this is a truly important and revealing book that will change your perspective on world events.

A disappointment

What did you like best about The Orphan Master's Son? What did you like least?

Overall, this long-anticipated work was a disappointment, The quality of the narration was almost amateurish - why use narrators with Korean accents? - very distracting from the plot and story line. The author had a wealth of information on which to build a story line (life in North Korea), but squandered it by using a meandering story line and confusing characters. I wouldn't recommend this work to anyone - sorry!

Would you be willing to try another book from Adam Johnson? Why or why not?

No

Would you be willing to try another one of the narrators’s performances?

Absolutely not - these narrators are far from the quality I would expect from audible.

Do you think The Orphan Master's Son needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Any additional comments?

Overall - a real disappointment

Excellent!

The characters drew me into a story of living in a grim place that I would not have wanted to hear about for hours and hours without the character involvement. I don't know much about North Korea but this story was very informative and though fantastical, believable.

Incredibly Moving Story

This was an extremely well written book; I could not put it down. However it is a very disturbing book. The narrators are great!

Fascinating!

Incredible book taking place in North Korea. It is quite unfathomable that a country like this still exists in this day & age.
The lead character is really well-developed & although his actions were truly incomprehensible at times, it forces the reader to go beyond thinking what 'normal' is.
Definitely recommended & no question Pulitzer-worthy!

A must read

A fascinating book, exquisitely well written. Tons of research must have gone into it, such details level of the life of North Koreans as I have never known.... Do yourself a favor and read this one.

An Epic Tale

Wow. This book was epic! So fascinating. I had a hard time putting it down. Some real difficult things to hear about but things that should be brought to the light. I know this book is fiction but is based on real life research. It is heart wrenching and brave-one of the best books I’ve ever read. I was happy to see it won a Pulitzer. So glad I found this one.