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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
I’m going to need to re-read this one to fully digest what happened. It’s the kind of book you can’t read casually to appreciate the nuances, and I picked it up when my life suddenly turned on its head, so my focus and concentration probably weren’t (ok, definitely weren’t) in top form. I know I missed some important elements to the plot which left me feeling somewhat lukewarm on it, but I strongly suspect that has more to do with my frame of mind right now than the quality of the book. When I was zoned in, the payoff was great. I’ll keep this one on my shelf and come back to it.
An entertaining, suspenseful story that forces the reader to stand inside North Korea and at the very least appreciate life in the US. To me, this book is about appreciation; appreciation of family, love, food, and simple things in life we may easily take for granted. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story and the excellent character development. Normally I don't spend reading fiction, but this was a good story and I'll make a point to spend more time with fiction after this one.
With the leadership change and new food for nuke negotiations, the Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson is a tension-filled and timely read. For readers with an interest in the tumult that is world affairs and for those hopeful that the human spirit will prevail in one of the worlds' most oppressive and secretive countries. One of this year's best! –Amy O.
This is a terrific novel that makes you think and feel, and has a very intellectually stimulating take on love. Highly recommend!
Full review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHHxTKhETqY
Full review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHHxTKhETqY
I appreciate this book for its sheer complexity, weaving in and out of characters' perspectives and stories from chapter to chapter. It took me a while to get into the story in the first place, though. The beginning tone felt dry, even though it was describing action-packed situations and I wasn't sure what was supposed to be happening to/with Jun Do. It was a vague blur during his kidnapping phase and I didn't make the connection about what he was doing then, except that it added to the story's progression and plot. But maybe this is how the author wanted us to read this, because it was how Jun Do went from one mission to the next, not knowing how or why he was chosen.
I don't know much about North Korea, so the descriptions of daily life there I'm not sure how to take in. Is it really like that? Are citizens so blinded to the regime that they become gray and dull like the meager clothes on their backs. spouting out the greatness of their country from the poverty of their existence? Maybe this is what happens under a dictatorship, which I don't even understand the point of. Why suppress a whole country of people and make them suffer and waste their potential on menial labor. To support what and to what end? Surely not the betterment of their own lives. But I guess this is what the author meant to show us. Just how wasted a human life is under such an oppressive, corrupt, megalomaniacal leadership model and how even in such a depraved state, humanity has gems of kindness and the determination to overcome what is discovered to be evil.
"It had taken a lot out of him to sit up, and when his head touched the pallet, the comfort of yielding to exhaustion overtook the discomfort of recovery. Almost everything on him hurt, yet a feeling of well-being came over his body, as if he'd been working hard all day with his mates. He closed hi eyes and felt the hum of it. When he opened them again, it was afternoon." pg. 95
"But the survival skills the Second Mate needed concerned enduring solitude and tolerating the unknown, topics about which Jun Do had some practice. 'Sleep during the day,' Jun Do told him. 'At night your thoughts will come clear. We have looked at the stars together--chart them each night. If they are in the right places, you're doing fine. Use your imagination only on the future, never on the present or the past. Do not try to picture people's faces--you will despair if they don't come clear. If you are visited by people from far away, don't think of them as ghosts. Treat them as family, as them questions, be a good host." pg. 109
"Ga paid this threat no mind. Was this a result of his pain training? Was he accustomed to beatings? Some people simply feel better after a beating--beatings are often good cures for guilt and self-loathing. Was he suffering from these?" pg. 195
"Ga thought about reminding the Dear Leader that they lived in a land where people had been trained to accept any reality presented to them. He considered sharing how there was only one penalty, the ultimate one, for questioning reality, how a citizen could fall into great jeopardy for simply noticing that realities had changed. Even a warden wouldn't risk that." pg. 418
Book: borrowed from SSF Main Library.
I don't know much about North Korea, so the descriptions of daily life there I'm not sure how to take in. Is it really like that? Are citizens so blinded to the regime that they become gray and dull like the meager clothes on their backs. spouting out the greatness of their country from the poverty of their existence? Maybe this is what happens under a dictatorship, which I don't even understand the point of. Why suppress a whole country of people and make them suffer and waste their potential on menial labor. To support what and to what end? Surely not the betterment of their own lives. But I guess this is what the author meant to show us. Just how wasted a human life is under such an oppressive, corrupt, megalomaniacal leadership model and how even in such a depraved state, humanity has gems of kindness and the determination to overcome what is discovered to be evil.
"It had taken a lot out of him to sit up, and when his head touched the pallet, the comfort of yielding to exhaustion overtook the discomfort of recovery. Almost everything on him hurt, yet a feeling of well-being came over his body, as if he'd been working hard all day with his mates. He closed hi eyes and felt the hum of it. When he opened them again, it was afternoon." pg. 95
"But the survival skills the Second Mate needed concerned enduring solitude and tolerating the unknown, topics about which Jun Do had some practice. 'Sleep during the day,' Jun Do told him. 'At night your thoughts will come clear. We have looked at the stars together--chart them each night. If they are in the right places, you're doing fine. Use your imagination only on the future, never on the present or the past. Do not try to picture people's faces--you will despair if they don't come clear. If you are visited by people from far away, don't think of them as ghosts. Treat them as family, as them questions, be a good host." pg. 109
"Ga paid this threat no mind. Was this a result of his pain training? Was he accustomed to beatings? Some people simply feel better after a beating--beatings are often good cures for guilt and self-loathing. Was he suffering from these?" pg. 195
"Ga thought about reminding the Dear Leader that they lived in a land where people had been trained to accept any reality presented to them. He considered sharing how there was only one penalty, the ultimate one, for questioning reality, how a citizen could fall into great jeopardy for simply noticing that realities had changed. Even a warden wouldn't risk that." pg. 418
Book: borrowed from SSF Main Library.
I may be at a loss for words on this one. In short, MUST READ, MUST READ, MUST READ! If you haven't, then go get it. The characters will haunt you as will the depiction of life in North Korea. I may be done reading, but this book will be in mind for quite some time.
emotional
informative
tense
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"There is a talk that every father has with his son in which he brings the child to understand that there are ways we must act, things we must say, but inside, we are still us, we are family. I was eight when my father had this talk with me. We were under a tree on Moranbong Hill. He told me that there was a path set out for us. On it we had to do everything the signs commanded and heed all the announcements along the way. Even if we walked this path side by side, he said, we must act alone on the outside, while on the inside, we would be holding hands."
I was engrossed in The Orphan Master's Son from the opening broadcast to the citizens of the greatest nation in the world, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, to the ending pages. These broadcasts happen every day and highlight the theme of the novel, the fantasy version of life vs. the horrific reality of life in North Korea. As Adam Johnson says in the end notes: "Your loyalties must lie with the regime first and your family second, which makes an orphan of everyone to some degree, and the Kim regime the true orphan master." I experienced every emotion in between: happiness sadness, horror, surprise, love, optimism, loss. The characters are amazing and there are hidden layers to every thought, word, and action. As the main character, Pak Jun Do (John Doe) emphasizes, in North Korea it is not about the person -- it is about the Nation. You survive as long as you are useful. When you stop being useful, you are done. It is an amazing way to think about your life.
Although a fiction, Johnson did a considerable amount of research for this book, including visiting Pyongyang. It is one of the saddest, most horrific books I have ever read. I knew practically nothing about North Korea before starting. During my reading, I did a tiny bit of research just to understand the places, the history, the culture, and the language. (I say tiny because what can you ever truly know about North Korea?) I don't want to give anything away but it is basically about the life of Pak Jun Do, who we meet as a young orphan. "As the book opens, he's an everyman, a character who does what he's told when he's told, however grim the task, and he doesn't ask questions." He seemingly drifts through life, not questioning anything. Until he does. It is not exactly an uplifting story but it has its moments. The human spirit is nothing but incredible.
Johnson writes that this is a trauma narrative and "North Korea, I believe, is a trauma narrative on a national scale." That says it all and there is nothing left to say.
I was engrossed in The Orphan Master's Son from the opening broadcast to the citizens of the greatest nation in the world, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, to the ending pages. These broadcasts happen every day and highlight the theme of the novel, the fantasy version of life vs. the horrific reality of life in North Korea. As Adam Johnson says in the end notes: "Your loyalties must lie with the regime first and your family second, which makes an orphan of everyone to some degree, and the Kim regime the true orphan master." I experienced every emotion in between: happiness sadness, horror, surprise, love, optimism, loss. The characters are amazing and there are hidden layers to every thought, word, and action. As the main character, Pak Jun Do (John Doe) emphasizes, in North Korea it is not about the person -- it is about the Nation. You survive as long as you are useful. When you stop being useful, you are done. It is an amazing way to think about your life.
Although a fiction, Johnson did a considerable amount of research for this book, including visiting Pyongyang. It is one of the saddest, most horrific books I have ever read. I knew practically nothing about North Korea before starting. During my reading, I did a tiny bit of research just to understand the places, the history, the culture, and the language. (I say tiny because what can you ever truly know about North Korea?) I don't want to give anything away but it is basically about the life of Pak Jun Do, who we meet as a young orphan. "As the book opens, he's an everyman, a character who does what he's told when he's told, however grim the task, and he doesn't ask questions." He seemingly drifts through life, not questioning anything. Until he does. It is not exactly an uplifting story but it has its moments. The human spirit is nothing but incredible.
Johnson writes that this is a trauma narrative and "North Korea, I believe, is a trauma narrative on a national scale." That says it all and there is nothing left to say.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No