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)

Excellent

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Hard to get into the book but then it turned and I could not stop listening. Worth the time of listening. Such insight into North Korea.

The pain of it sneaks up on you

I should have finished this book in a day but it was too painful to endure all at once.
If books are a way to travel to lands unknown, this one took us into the hearts of the characters in a way we both need but cannot bear.
I felt the pain of it physically, the weight of it will forever be on my mind. It’s a must read, but chase it with whatever brings you the most joy.

1984 is real in N Korea

Great story, absorbing performance of the ongoing tragedy of authoritarian life in isolated North Korea. A westerner’s glimpse at how an oppressive culture might be rationalized. Eye opening. Thought provoking

Incredible

Simply incredible story. In my top ten books ever read. A book you can start and have a hard time setting down.

Re: the most democratic nation in the world.

What other book might you compare The Orphan Master's Son to and why?

compare to Lisa's Dream. Get the true picture of life lived under socialist freedom.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

The Glorious Leader

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

So many moments you want the characters to rebel. The anxious moments at the end. What will happen to Sun Moon and her children?

Any additional comments?

The young, the idealist will profit in their thinking about just what kind of government nurtures the human spirit.

Fascinating, tragic, very well written

This is a tale of insight into a tragic but unfortunately too real lives of horribly oppressed and brutalized people. I have both read and listened to this amazing book. The author takes you inside the heart and soul of the characters where you can feel what their feeling and see an alien world, alien to the civilized world, and leave you with an amazing insight that could only be understood by living multiple tragic lives. READ THIS!

Are we done yet?

For being a book of fiction I thought it was a bit long. The back and forth in time lost me at times. But it was another reason I love and appreciate my Country even during crazy times.

Great story

Great story of a foreign land. The characters were really compelling. Narration brought it all to life.

Fantastic

Loved this book. An amazing epic story of survival, love and crazy politics. I would recommend to anyone. Great narration too.

Gather round your computers or mobile devices, for

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

The narration. All 3 of them got the accents down pat.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Orphan Master's Son?

Ju Do's almost killing his translator for wanting to defect.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

All of them, but Ju n do in particular.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Jun Do's sacrifice.