http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/ This area is for the discussion and review of particular works of literature from the Americas. en Sat, 25 May 2013 06:53:22 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/ http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/showthread.php/59673-Adam-Johnson-The-Orphan-Master-s-Son?goto=newpost Sat, 11 May 2013 17:37:27 GMT The Orphan Master’s Son is not a factually accurate novel. I’ve read reviews on the web stating that it’s picture of North Korea is not completely realistic, and some have trashed the book for this reason, but I didn’t mind. After all, it’s a novel about North Korea written by an American who was only able to spend a few weeks in North Korea while on a tour of the country. While there, he was not able to ask any of the natives questions (a guide “answers” everything they asked), and while have escaped the country, these people are far and few.

The book is the story of Jun Do, the son of a man who runs an orphanage. Very quickly he leaves behind his father and enters the military, and afterwards is given lessons in English. The first part of the book reads like a picaresque adventure as Jun Do works a variety of occupations for the regime, slowly rising through the ranks: translator and interpreter, spy, kidnapper. It is amazing how much time this first part covers in 180 pages while never sounding rushed, giving each of the events its own due.

In the second part, however, things completely change gears. The first part exclusively followed Jun Do in a limited third person perspective; the second part introduces two new narrators: a man working in a torture facility in Pyongyang and a propaganda story told over the radio. Though similar stories told over the radio make occasional appearances in the first part, the sudden changes in the narrative are a bit jarring, and though logically the plot from the first part flows into the second, I felt that the shifts in narrative prevented the two parts from being properly wedded. It does not help that the story following Jun Doalso changes pace. Whereas a few months’ time could be described early on in a single paragraph, the second half of Jun Do’s life consists of a few weeks. Not that this is a bad thing, nor will it irritate all the book’s readers, but I found it a bit jarring.

The Orphan Master’s Son, however, is one of the best books I’ve read in 2013 so far, second only to As I Lay Dying (and Johnson’s book gives that a run for it’s money). The characters are endearing and loveable, and Jun Do is not easily forgotten. It’s one of the few books where I felt a bit sad when it was over, as I wanted to stay in its world. The last part is part love story, part thriller, but is still just as amazing as the first part, and a fun page-turner. Johnson’s prose is not so beautiful that you’ll find yourself rereading random passages, but his narrative-building skills are so great you’ll stay mesmerized nonetheless.

Last month it won the Pulitzer prize, a choice that some will deride, saying that the book only won the award because of all the news about North Korea at the time, and I agree, I don’t think it would have won without those threats coming from Kim Jong-Un. This is not a mark against Johnson’s book, though, and more about the requirements for winning a Pulitzer. The guidelines state that preferably it should deal with “American life,” and though the book is amazing, only about 30 pages takes place in America, in Texas.

There seems to be a bit of a stigma against recent Pulitzer Prize winners on this board, but The Orphan Master’s Son is a near masterpiece, the kind of book that legitimizes the Pulitzer again. Not everyone will like it, but it is definitely worth a read, no matter what your tastes are.

***** ]]> Americas Literature redheadshadz http://www.worldliteratureforum.com/forum/showthread.php/59673-Adam-Johnson-The-Orphan-Master-s-Son