The Orphan Master's Son
Adam Johnson
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
4.05
· 40 ratings · 443 pages · Published: 10 Jan 2012
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.
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.
Tagged as:
- thriller 4
- historical 3
- historical fiction 3
- literary fiction 3
- political 3
- dystopia 3
- mystery 3
- drama 3
- socialism/communism 3
- on the move 2
- survival 2
- realistic 2
- action / adventure 2
- coming of age 2
- social commentary 2
- suspense 2
- classics 2
- dark 2
- war/big battles 2
- satire 1
- crime 1
- oppression 1
- protagonists of colour 1
- military, war & conflict 1
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- format - reader age
- audiobook 3
- book 1
- adult fiction 1