DFO Book Korner. Review – The Orphan Master’s Son.

I wanted to create a periodic feature where us nerdy-ass book nerds could congregate, review and discuss books. I thought one idea would be to review something recently read, possibly mention some recent favorites or even give a list of all-time favorite reads.

I’m a book fanatic. I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t read. Wherever I go I have a book in my possession or in my car. I finished the entire works of Edgar Allan Poe before I finished the fifth grade, I also have a fairly large portrait of Poe tattooed in the middle of my upper back. Quick safety tip! Don’t get a large tattoo on the middle of your spine. That motherfucker hurt! As of now I’m reading the new Stephen King “Finders Keepers”. It’s related, in a way, to his previous novel “Mr Mercedes”. It’s not a sequel but one of the major events from that novel also has an impact in “Finders Keepers”.

We are not here to discuss the new King though. We will discuss “The Orphan Master’s Son”, a novel by Adam Johnson that I recently finished.

The story takes place in North Korea during the reign of Dear Leader Kim Jung Il. One of the most fascinating aspects of the story is the location. There is a depth of insight that is brought to the story by the author, Johnson. Adam Johnson was one of the few Americans who were granted a travel visa to visit North Korea so he brings a realism that couldn’t otherwise be achieved.

Broken into two separate but connected segments, the first part deals with our protagonist Pak Jun Do who is the son of an orphan master, the master that oversees the very large population of an orphanage. Due to parents disappearing for any number of reasons, there are a lot of orphans in the country. As he reaches the required age, Pak Jun Do is automatically enlisted in the military. Some of the skills he learns in glorious service to country are kidnapping, tunnel making, tunnel fighting and radioman. At one point he is basically enlisted as a spy. His role is to take a radio receiver onto a fishing boat and monitor radio frequencies to eavesdrop on the South Koreans, the Japanese and any other boats that are traveling in international waters. There is a hilarious bit where he is overhearing conversations coming from the International Space Station and having no idea that there is such thing as space exploration, he assumes the conversation is coming from under the sea.

One of the sailors on the boat decides to defect one day and the remaining crew members create an elaborate story involving being boarded my a US Naval crew along with a shark attack. As a result Pak Jun Do becomes a national hero for fending off the Americans and the shark while trying to protect the defected sailor. After becoming a hero he travels with a couple of other dignitaries to Texas for various reasons that I won’t tell. The Texas segment is one of my favorite parts of the book.

The second part of the book involves a “new” character named Commander Ga. Who is a high ranking member of the North Korean Elite. Ga is “married” to North Korea’s national actress Sun Moon. The narrative during the Commander Ga segment is in third person narrative form.

A new character is introduced who is a member of the top level “Interrogation Team”, who collects the truth from people who the country feels may be a threat to the country’s safety. This characters’ segments are written in first person narrative form.

That’s as much as I want to give away. The ending has strong suspense elements and some surprisingly heartfelt moments as well. Overall the novel has a very dark comedic thread and there were parts that were simply hilarious.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It did win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction after all and was a New York Times best seller. There were a few moments, only a few, where I had to “push through” but the ending was more than worth the effort.

On a readability scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, I give this an 8.5.

You may want to put this on the “to read” list if for no other reason than the insight into the North Korean country and lifestyle. An insight into a country that very few Westerners have a chance to experience.

Make your mind and soul happier places. Read more books.