This book. So, Adam Johnson did his research. He read all kinds of first-hand accounts of the lucky people who have escaped from North Korea. Based on those accounts and a lot of imagination, he made a long list of horrible things that could happen in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, then he figured out how to fit every single one of those atrocities into a novel. The title character is an orphan (or not, depending on who you believe), turned tunnel fighter, turned kidnapper, turned translator/spy, turned hero, turned prisoner, turned... Well, you get the idea, and I don't want to spoil the second half of the book.
The subject matter sounds bleak, and Johnson successfully creates the dark feel that one can only imagine a totalitarian state must have. And yet, it's funny. This is dark, dark, politically satirical humor at its best. Part of me wanted to not like this novel, because of the endless list of "atrocities to include" that I mentioned above, but I couldn't help but get sucked in. Johnson managed to make me laugh at the same time that chills were running down my spine. Kim Jong-Il made his job much easier, of course. How many real-life characters could be both utterly ridiculous and terrifying at the same time?
Johnson's plotting is equally as artful as his prose. I found myself flipping backward through the novel and then smacking myself in the forehead as I pieced together the little clues he scattered through-out the second half of the book. I felt the second half was much stronger than the first, with multiple points of view (including a propagandized version of events broadcast through loud-speakers), alternating time-lines, etc., but I don't think it would have been as strong without the more straight-forward narrative of the first half to set the stage.
The subject matter sounds bleak, and Johnson successfully creates the dark feel that one can only imagine a totalitarian state must have. And yet, it's funny. This is dark, dark, politically satirical humor at its best. Part of me wanted to not like this novel, because of the endless list of "atrocities to include" that I mentioned above, but I couldn't help but get sucked in. Johnson managed to make me laugh at the same time that chills were running down my spine. Kim Jong-Il made his job much easier, of course. How many real-life characters could be both utterly ridiculous and terrifying at the same time?
Johnson's plotting is equally as artful as his prose. I found myself flipping backward through the novel and then smacking myself in the forehead as I pieced together the little clues he scattered through-out the second half of the book. I felt the second half was much stronger than the first, with multiple points of view (including a propagandized version of events broadcast through loud-speakers), alternating time-lines, etc., but I don't think it would have been as strong without the more straight-forward narrative of the first half to set the stage.
Review first posted on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2012/04/orphan-masters-son.html
The Orphan Master's Son is a story of North Korea. It is the story of one man - Jun Do - who really could be any person. A John Doe if you will. It is a story of a regime so different from ours, and a life so different from ours. Different yet the same, for human nature and the need to love and be loved is the same everywhere. It is a story of hardship and difficulties.
I started reading this book about a month ago. I read about a hundred pages. Since then, the book sits on my side table. I have had no inclination to pick it up again. I have moved on and read several other books and am trying to gear up to go back to it. It is a selection of my local book group, and I do try and read those books. I have discovered some gems that way. Unfortunately, I really don't want to pick this book up again.
The book has received such rave reviews. Unfortunately, in the first hundred pages, I found the writing style confusing and sometimes difficult to follow in terms of narrator and time period. I felt no emotion for the main character. I could not relate to him, and even given his dire circumstances, did not develop a sense of hoping for a happy ending for him.
I wanted to like this book. From the book description, I felt like I would enjoy the book. Unfortunately, I think I am abandoning it at about 100 pages. If, even after 100 pages, a book cannot engage me, then I don't feel a need to finish it.
The Orphan Master's Son is a story of North Korea. It is the story of one man - Jun Do - who really could be any person. A John Doe if you will. It is a story of a regime so different from ours, and a life so different from ours. Different yet the same, for human nature and the need to love and be loved is the same everywhere. It is a story of hardship and difficulties.
I started reading this book about a month ago. I read about a hundred pages. Since then, the book sits on my side table. I have had no inclination to pick it up again. I have moved on and read several other books and am trying to gear up to go back to it. It is a selection of my local book group, and I do try and read those books. I have discovered some gems that way. Unfortunately, I really don't want to pick this book up again.
The book has received such rave reviews. Unfortunately, in the first hundred pages, I found the writing style confusing and sometimes difficult to follow in terms of narrator and time period. I felt no emotion for the main character. I could not relate to him, and even given his dire circumstances, did not develop a sense of hoping for a happy ending for him.
I wanted to like this book. From the book description, I felt like I would enjoy the book. Unfortunately, I think I am abandoning it at about 100 pages. If, even after 100 pages, a book cannot engage me, then I don't feel a need to finish it.
Incredible writing and I'm glad I read it. That being said, others noted it was grim to read. Americans just can't fathom (and certainly neither could I) living the way the North Koreans do in this book. Impossible for us to 'step into the mind and character' of a North Korean citizen, but reading this does give you a lot of insight and keeps you thinking for hours afterwards. I can see why it won the Pulitzer Prize. Don't avoid reading it simply because your heart is too tender, give it a try. The writing is just superb.
I admit it, I had trouble with this one; even with all it's awards. It was too stark and horrid for me and my tender sensitivites. It does portray a sickendingly real reality in North Korea and it's very hard to swallow.
Brilliantly written novel depicting life in the totalitarian state of North Korea. It was grim reading, but the adventures and transformations of the main character, raised in an orphanage among children who were considered throw-aways in a system that places little value on any human life--well that made me want to turn the pages.
Political satire is not really my thing. That being said, I did enjoy and complete my reading of The Orphan Master's Son. I found parts to be both inspiring and uplifting and found the learning of another culture enlightening. Giving this read a 4 star!
My rating system is as follows:
5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but not a classic.
3 stars - Good overall, generally well written.
2 stars - Would not recommend based on personal criteria.
1 star - Difficult to read, hard to finish, or didn't finish. Wouldn't recommend purchasing or reading.
My rating system is as follows:
5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but not a classic.
3 stars - Good overall, generally well written.
2 stars - Would not recommend based on personal criteria.
1 star - Difficult to read, hard to finish, or didn't finish. Wouldn't recommend purchasing or reading.
I don't even know how to begin to describe this book. It won the 2013 Pulitzer prize for fiction. So there's that. Okay, the story is about Pak Jun Do, the son of an orphan master (as if you hadn't already figured that one out) in North Korea. As the son of an orphan master he is afforded a few special privileges such as deciding which orphan gets sent out on life-or-death missions. The reader never actually meets the Orphan Master. One day Jun Do is volunteered for kidnapping missions. This he does for a few years until he is taught English and is given a spot spying on radio transmissions over the Pacific ocean on a fishing boat. Jun Do has a lot of interesting adventures, and truth be told, the first half of the book is just backstory and character development for the second half of the story. Eventually our hero ends up in a prison camp where he encounters a national hero and has a lot more interesting and complicated adventures.
The story is interspersed with commentary dispensed by the author himself speaking to the reader directly, by loudspeakers. This I thought was a really brilliant narrative technique on the part of the author. Then you have the matter of the main character being a somewhat unreliable narrator. Oh, and there are plenty of characters to keep straight, some of which I had to flip back and forth trying to remember where I last encountered this character or another which made the story sometimes slow reading. Finally, the point of view in the second half switches between several characters to tell a story partly out of order. In the end, it's all wrapped up very neatly with no loose ends. It took me a while to read this book, but I really, really liked it. It held a certain power over me for several days and made for very compelling reading. Only after reading it could I tell why it had won the Pulitzer prize, as Mr. Johnson's writing is top-notch and will leave you wondering where the line between fact and fiction is.
The story is interspersed with commentary dispensed by the author himself speaking to the reader directly, by loudspeakers. This I thought was a really brilliant narrative technique on the part of the author. Then you have the matter of the main character being a somewhat unreliable narrator. Oh, and there are plenty of characters to keep straight, some of which I had to flip back and forth trying to remember where I last encountered this character or another which made the story sometimes slow reading. Finally, the point of view in the second half switches between several characters to tell a story partly out of order. In the end, it's all wrapped up very neatly with no loose ends. It took me a while to read this book, but I really, really liked it. It held a certain power over me for several days and made for very compelling reading. Only after reading it could I tell why it had won the Pulitzer prize, as Mr. Johnson's writing is top-notch and will leave you wondering where the line between fact and fiction is.
I found this an extremely disturbing book and gave up after about 50 pages. This is not for the sensitive reader, despite having such glowing reviews and also receiving the Pulitzer Prize.
