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The Orphan Master's Son

A Novel

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The Orphan Master's Son

By: Adam Johnson
Narrated by: Tim Kang, Josiah D. Lee, James Kyson Lee, Adam Johnson
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About this listen

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 Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Imperial Japan Exciting Celebrity

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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)
All stars
Most relevant  
Heart breaking, hilarious, thought provoking. Simply my favourite book of all time. I can't wait to listen again.

You need this book in your life

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Loved the characters from the beginning. A real insight into life in North Korea and the false beliefs about the West.

Amazing story of life in North Korea.

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One of the best books I've heard. I'd listened to 'Nothing to Envy' about North Korea but this book is even better at giving an insight into this dystopian country. It reminded me of the bits of 'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell which are set in the future, though this is terrifyingly present. It's in two parts - the first part immerses you in the life of the orphan master's son and is beautiful and bleak, plotted at breakneck speed like 'The History of Tom Jones' set in 1984. The second part is more fantastical and unlikely, reading like a thriller and a love story and utterly compelling. I think if you like David Mitchell, or 'The Sisters Brothers' or 'Nothing to Envy' then you'll like this. Highly recommended- a book I couldnt stop listening to.

Brilliant story about a brutal place

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The story was utterly fascinating.. never read anything like it. I realize it's a fictional novel but omg, if North Korea is anything like it is described in this book gods help those poor souls who dwell within! Very well written and gripping story telling.

Disturbing but fascinating

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1984, Catch 22, A John Buchan Novel and Brave New World all in one book

A total masterpiece

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riveting horrific tender. makes you thank god you're lucky to be born where you were. highly disturbing. beyond belief.

complex multilayered superbly written & well told

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I loved this book. It was a slow start and at one point I almost gave up but it is just fantastic.

Amazing book

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what a fabulous tale! i couldnt stop listening and have stayed up all night over several nights. I'm now exhausted but it was so worth it.

5 stars is not enough

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The first part of the book is as incredibly captivating depiction of the lives of the main characters in the isolated, oppressive country of North Korea. The story is beautifully written, at times almost poetically, at times with such authenticity of the portrayal of the most intimate thoughts and feelings, that I found it breathtaking and could not stop listen often late to the night. What in my opinion also adds a deeper dimension to the first part of the book is that at times it is based on real historical events, such as the period of famine or the abductions of several people from Japan. These events, and the way they formed people are described with such accuracy, and so realistically, that it provided a very powerful glimpse into the lives of people in this country, which so little is known about.

However, in the second part, the books becomes a lot more surreal. The main character begins to impersonate a well known North Korean war hero, part of the story begins to take place at a very 'high-tech' torture units, with detailed descriptions of torture equipment and techniques, which do not sound very believable, the late leader, Kim Jong-il is depicted almost as a comical caricature.

Personally, I was not very fond of this switch, from a very genuine and authentic, to almost a science-fiction style. I found it a lot less enjoyable form the literary style point of view, as well as confusing, as it almost had a feel of 'pro-US propaganda' and I fear that it may be misleading for some readers.

Still, the first part of the book was superb, and the book was definitely well worth the listen just for that!

Incredible beginning, less convincing second part

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Superb. As a recent convert to K-Dramas a friend suggested that I read this as an antidote to the gooey warmth and feel good of television series. It was. Johnson dissects the nature of stories and truth, what we tell ourselves, each other, the world and what the world tells us. Using North Korea as the setting this book is not, in my opinion, about North Korea anymore than Orwell's 1984 bore any resemblance to the events of the historical calendar year of that name. This is about power, absolute power over every detail of people's lives, from their names. their personal and social histories, their bodies but somehow the essence of the titular Orphan Master's son survives his many transmutations. This was masterful story-telling dissecting its very own art. It is also a story set in North Korea about the survival, or not, against all odds of an orphan/miner/kidnapper/spy/soldier. Without getting into a discussion about cultural appropriation, this is novel writing at its best; taking the reader into another (imagined) world, putting us in someone else's ill-fitting shoes. Fabulous. Will read again and analyse his techniques.

1984 for now, stunning tale of no truth.

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