Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

3 reviews

carojust's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

It's hard to prepare for tragedy at this scale. As you read this book, there's a constant tension of fiction and fact, and it's sobering to accept that much of this is documented testimony of a totalitarian regime. 

The protagonist is Jun Do, who's immediately misidentified as an orphan. This theme of identity is beautifully expanded upon by Adam Johnson, in a place where citizens have no sense of self, other than their service to their leader. Jun Do lives many lives this way, as he serves competently as a tunnel leader, kidnapper, spy, sailor, translator and eventually commander. Through him, we see brutality, loneliness, fear, and loyalty in different forms. There are small moments of compassion that are enough to help him survive, and understand love and family; he's a child, a blank slate in this way. Johnson uses darkness and blindness as a constant reminder of how the country's people are unknowing, kept in a state of confusion, helpless, and denied the outside world or notions of it. 

It's a lot to get through emotionally, and I had to take my time with this one. I recommend it for perspective on a society so alien to us, and us to them, that unsettles you to your core.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had to take my time with this one. It was dense, and I felt a lot of conflicting emotions, being Korean myself. I remembered my own introduction to both Korean and US propaganda of the North when I was in middle school and being filled with compassion and so many unanswerable questions. I remember my trip to the DMZ too. So I had a lot to sort through while reading this book. 

It was also one of the strangest and most haunting books I’ve ever read. It will stay with me for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cilie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

En bog der er svær at sætte ord på.

Bogen består af to dele. 

Første del er et realistisk protræt af Nordkorea i starten af det 21'ende århundrede. Her følger vi Jun Do, fra en barndom i et børnehjem under den store hungersnød i 90'erne, gennem forskellige opgaver i militæret. Gennem Jun Do's historie får vi et indblik i hvordan det er at leve i norkorea. Jeg bliver mindet om dystopier som '1984' og 'favre nye verden', men den er god nok. Alle nordkoreanere skal have (eller skulle indtil 2012, idag ved jeg ikke hvad reglerne er) have et billede af Kim Jong Il og Kim Il-Sumg i hvert rum og alle hjem arbejdspladser mm skulle have instaleret en højtaler der kun spillede den statelige radiokanal og ikke kunne slukkes. Disse to ting er gennemgående, men der er mange andre ufattelige detaljer i første del.

Anden del er mere fiktionel. Tilgengæld er den bedre sammensat ud fra et litterært synspunkt. Mange detaljer og episoder der virker meningsløse i del et bliver spundet sammen til at hele. I anden del bliver tidslinjen også brudt op, mens man følger kommisær Ga. Hans sidste dage inden sin anholdelse, hans forhør i en underjordisk bunker i Pyingyang, samt forhørslederens liv i de dage forhøret står på.

Anden del fangede mig mere, men første del vækker mere eftertanke, nu jeg er færdig. Især kan jeg ikke lade være at spekulerer over hvor meget Nordkorea mon har ændret sig siden Kin Jong Ils død i 2012?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Torture, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Sexual assault, and Suicide

in one scene a villain perform homosexual assult