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Adam Johnsons, The Orphan Masters Son is a book set in modern day North Korea and epitomizes Orwellian Horror at its best. The book but obviously features the regime under, Dear Leader Kim Jong II.
n the book, North Korea is a dreaded country. You can be condemned for the smallest of things and everything will go unnoticed. The person isnt as important as the story of the person. Things change in an instant, basis public service announcements, telling people what to do and when.
The story is centred on the life of Jun Do, the son of an orphan master. He is named after one of the revolutionaries who committed suicide to prove his loyalty and worthiness to the revolution. Jun Dos life is complex from being treated as an orphan (when he is not) to becoming a tunnel soldier to transforming into a kidnapper, working in Japan to provide select individuals to serve the capitals needs and desires. He is trained to become an English translator, conducting the work of surveillance spy, on a boat, where the men have their wives faces tattooed on their chests.
From here on his life changes drastically. He is given the opportunity to visit US of A. The visit is a humiliating experience for the country, due to which Jun Do is sent to prison. In prison, he kills and takes the place of one of the heroes, Commander Ga and falls in love with his wife, Son Moon, who is a famous movie star. The blurb says that it is, The Greatest North Korean Love Story Ever Told and it is correct. It is.
Adam Johnson captures the political scenario brilliantly. There is no defined style of writing in the book and that is refreshing. Totalitarianism is revealed in all its craziness as to how people give in to repression and propaganda without thought. The setting, North Korea is described without any frills, the way it is meant to be depicted straightforward.
Stories are disjointed in the book. It is mix of many genres thriller, spy, romance, sea stories, historical fiction, and realism. The essence of the book is never lost though, which according to me is of identity. The Orphan Masters Son is a great read. It is everything you possibly cannot imagine in a novel and are taken by surprise. ISBN - 9780552778251
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Pages : 592
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