The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson l Summary & Study Guide

by BookRags

This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

Genres: Fiction

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2013

Reviews

[Hilde Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful, fascinating, chilling, scary, unbelievable. All these adjectives came to my mind as I was reading this book. It is easy to spoil the story, so I will try not to. Although fiction, the tale is based on what it takes to survive daily life in North Korea, the most brutal, corrupt, totalitarian country in the world, and the methods a young man employs to survive a cultural conundrum that drives many people to mental illness and/or severe depression. The author pieced together many bits of information gleaned through painstaking research to write this book. It is a must read for anyone interested in learning the truth about North Korea. The society depicted is completely consistent with a non-fiction book I have read about North Korea called, ESCAPE FROM CAMP 14.

[Pat Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was simultaneously challenging to read, yet hard to put down. The shifting chronology and quirky narrative sometimes made it hard for me to keep track of what was happening to whom and when, and the characters often seemed more abstract and symbolic than real. Their depictions reminded of the characters in the book "Blindness" by José Saramago. I thought the second half of the book, in which the protagonist becomes Sun Moon's new husband, was quite different from the first half and could easily have been a separate book; however, the book did hold together, albeit tenuously at times. Certain descriptions were haunting, as was the grim humor that pervaded many scenes in the book. This book deserved the Pulitzer if not on its literary merit, on it's service to the world. The author painted a vivid, frightening, depressing picture of the terrible quality of life for most people living in North Korea. That regime's ongoing crimes against humanity, which the author described and which have been confirmed by the UN recently, must be stopped.

[Amy Vogt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange and intriguing but couldn't put it down

[Michael Selvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to give a merely good review to a Pulitzer prize winner, but I found this one to be too difficult and just plain too much work. The story is divided into two parts. The first part is great: exciting, surprising, great characters, and fun to read. The second part is made up of different views of the protagonist and the society of North Korea. It jumps between these sections, without the narrative thrust of the first section and the main character takes over the life of another person (and his wife) and the reader cannot be sure of what is real and what is imagined. I suppose I could have worked harder through the second part, but I like to enjoy and relax with a good story...couldn't do it here.

[Robert]

This was a truly unique read for me. The setting, the narrator, and the entire story had a very different feel from anything else I have ever read. I can only imagine, but I believe the author captures the essence of what it must be like to live and grow to maturity in a society such as may exist in North Korea. The cover describes the main character, Pak Jun Do, as "the haunted son of a lost mother...stolen to Pyongyang...and an influential father, who runs a work camp for orphans." Pak Jun Do's character and his narration provide a unique perspective on his life, a life so vastly different from anything with which I am familiar.

[Judith Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent fictional look at North Korea from the first person perspective of a young g Korean. Well researched from the research I did. Loved this book!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very intense book. If half of what it says about North Korea is true then, well it's unbelievable. Some of this is downright gruesome and it IS really hard to believe. And, yet, it seems that a lot of the book is based on how things are run in N. Korea. The main character is very likeable and the story is compelling and fascinating and has a lot of twists and turns. The story itself also seems quite unlikely, and it is a fiction novel. It's a compelling read and kept me interested the whole time. Unlike anything I've read before. I think if it hadn't been quite so brutal and depressing I would have liked it more!

[Carl Ehnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you've heard about North Korea is true! At least in Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son, there are few surprises. But what Johnson does in this book is amazing in the sense of humanizing a dystopian society that animates both torturers and sufferers alike, and helps delve into the psychology of a citizenry adapting to insanely repressive conditions.

In understated prose, Johnson makes the horrifying quotidian and the absurd tenable. Not only is it amazing how an author can credibly set a story in a closed, inaccessible society, but to imbue them with the qualities of cruelty and compassion that flesh out a deeply moving story.

[Ava Fornaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very intense. The entire plot line is pretty difficult to stomach. The way the book is written feels very real. It was very interesting to feel apart of North Korean culture, but that is practically impossible in real life. I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy dramatic story lines. Although it is not a true story, it is based around a realistic character so it feels very genuine. The book is very well written.

[Tj Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites - I LOVE this book. The writing is seamless, the story is beautiful... It keeps you on your toes weaving through time, but completely engrossing. Thank you to the author. I won't forget it.

[Rob Perschau · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it a little more than three stars, but not four. It was a nice piece of fiction with, I presume, some fascinating elements of reality (regarding life in N. Korea). There were a lot of times when I almost gave up reading because it was so long-winded, but then it would pull me back in.

[Eva-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for our book club which meets this Saturday. I found it a very strange and disturbing book. I will see what everyone else thinks. I wonder how much is reality in the way North Koreans live.

[Steve Radlow]

I read about 50 pages and just couldn't get into this book.

[David Mckibben]

Wonderfully crafted book. Liked it very much.

[Patti Peacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book but can give you night mares.

[Rachel Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put this down. Horrifying. Like reading about war or wintertime In hot summer. Instantly made me appreciate my circumstances.

[James R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little long in detail and conversation, but i enjoyed the read.

[Carolyn Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow - I feel like I have been on a distant planet

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A challenging, excellent book. As another reader said...difficult to read but difficult to put down.

[Susie Necker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get through this book even after 50 pages.

[Josie]

Excellent