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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
A riveting story set in, of all places, North Korea, follows the life of a young man through all the insanity that is life in a world that makes Orwell's 1984 seem like paradise. I often found myself feeling a bit disoriented -- wait, where are we? What is happening? -- which is a taste of how the citizens in the "most democratic country on earth" must feel. It is clear a lot of research went into the book, making it all the more terrifyingly real.
Captivating and complex. There are a lot of great characters here, and Adam Johnson delves into the Hermit Kingdom like someone who knows a place intimately. If you've read any NK memoir or defector biographies, you'll know you're in the hands of an adept researcher.
The Orphan Master's Son ranges across North Korea and touches on the lives of the poorest right up to the Pyongyang elites--even the Dear Leader himself. It's touching, exciting, and the narrative shifts all over the place and takes some creative approaches to storytelling.
Something kept me from fully loving this book, however. A tone of reverse propaganda came through occasionally, and there were several moments where I couldn't shake that I was seeing this world through an American writer's perspective. Not much, but enough that I lost my immersion in those moments. I also wondered a few times if the sweeping narrative and unique characters would have had more impact if the scope had been narrower. Everything in this story leads to a big impressive ending, with the flare of an epic adventure, while all other aspects were tending toward the literary.
All the same--an impressive story, artfully told.
The Orphan Master's Son ranges across North Korea and touches on the lives of the poorest right up to the Pyongyang elites--even the Dear Leader himself. It's touching, exciting, and the narrative shifts all over the place and takes some creative approaches to storytelling.
Something kept me from fully loving this book, however. A tone of reverse propaganda came through occasionally, and there were several moments where I couldn't shake that I was seeing this world through an American writer's perspective. Not much, but enough that I lost my immersion in those moments. I also wondered a few times if the sweeping narrative and unique characters would have had more impact if the scope had been narrower. Everything in this story leads to a big impressive ending, with the flare of an epic adventure, while all other aspects were tending toward the literary.
All the same--an impressive story, artfully told.
I don't quit many novels. I usually slog through...but I had a fabulous novel awaiting ("And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Husseini) so I ditched this bummer of a story. It just didn't capture my imagination at all.
Enjoyable and pacey throughout despite its length. Insightful into how bleak life in North Korea can be but nothing much to compare it against. The Dear Leader seems quite cartoonish at times and plot lurches in places but worthy of its plaudits and original.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This book should probably come with a list of trigger warnings. (But then, the entire DPRK should probably come with a list of trigger warnings...) Even if it did, I would urge you to ignore them. This is one of the most intriguing and captivating books I've read in the last year.
This book is excellent. Yes, Johnson overreaches at times, but I found he tackled complicated plots, characters and narrative shifts in a very readable 450 pages. It's as if Johnson took Kakfa's Josef K. to the next level -- instead of being merely a complicit, faceless citizen, you find yourself wondering if he is a master player in a game without rules or maybe just plain crazy. In the end, I didn't care and only wanted him to succeed in his Casablanca-inspired mission.
There is a fine line in portraying a comic-book version of Kim Jong Il while simultaneously undermining the horrific nature of an oppressive regime. As a reader you find yourself asking "should I be enjoying this so much?" However, I think Johnson approached this book with an intention to do the material justice. For me, Kim Jong Il as a merry tap-dancing prankster contrasted with a lobotomizing pain machine that could run on autopilot only served to sharpen the contrast between Dear Leader and death camp.
There is a fine line in portraying a comic-book version of Kim Jong Il while simultaneously undermining the horrific nature of an oppressive regime. As a reader you find yourself asking "should I be enjoying this so much?" However, I think Johnson approached this book with an intention to do the material justice. For me, Kim Jong Il as a merry tap-dancing prankster contrasted with a lobotomizing pain machine that could run on autopilot only served to sharpen the contrast between Dear Leader and death camp.
This was more like a list of facts about North Korea than an actual story.
This book just kept getting better and better. I am aware this is a work of fiction and don't pretend to have any new knowledge on the people of North Korea or their "Dear Leader" after reading this. However, as a work of fiction, it was a really interesting setting.
Great satire, reminded me a bit of Catch 22 or Breakfast of Champions. I enjoyed going on this journey with Jun Do.