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THE ORPHAN MASTER'S SON
By: Adam Johnson
A Novel of North Korea
Random House
January 2012
On Sale: January 10, 2012
464 pages
ISBN: 0812992792
EAN: 9780812992793
Kindle: B004X6PRO6
Hardcover / e-Book
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An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Masterβs Son follows a young manβs journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the worldβs most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea. Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost motherβa singer βstolenβ to Pyongyangβand an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return. Considering himself βa humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world,β Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress βso pure, she didnβt know what starving people looked like.β Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Masterβs Son is also a riveting portrait of a world heretofore hidden from view: a North Korea rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love. A towering literary achievement, The Orphan Masterβs Son ushers Adam Johnson into the small group of todayβs greatest writers.
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