Review: The Orphan Master's Son

by Adam Johnson

****

Pak Jun Do is an almost-orphan from North Korea. Like the other boys in the orphanage, the Orphan Master has named him after one of the great martyrs of the dear Republic.

Jun Do is, among other things, a tunnel rat, a kidnapper, a sailor and the victim of a shark attack. When he is sent to one of the notorious prison mines, Jun Do exchanges his identity and his life changes forever.

The Orphan Master's Son is an intriguing story set in a country where its citizens are without a voice. The narrator expertly weaves a love story from unavoidable tragedy and questions the techniques of North Korean propaganda until the characters themselves start to question their loyalty and their freedom.

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