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A review by x0pherl
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
5.0
I heard the author interviewed on NPR after winning the Pulitzer. The interview went into some detail about how the book comes off as absurd to Western readers, and yet fairly accurately portrays life in North Korea. I found this thought troubling as I read the book.
Most fascinating to me was the main characters ability to simply accept each strange twist of his life and move on as if it were simply the new default. Towards the very end he explains why:
Although the book is humorous in many details, overall it is fairly haunting.
Definitely on my must re-read someday list.
Most fascinating to me was the main characters ability to simply accept each strange twist of his life and move on as if it were simply the new default. Towards the very end he explains why:
Ga thought about reminding [him] 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.
Although the book is humorous in many details, overall it is fairly haunting.
Definitely on my must re-read someday list.