The Orphan Master's son

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Johnson, Adam, Adult Book / Fiction / Thriller / General / Johnson, Adam
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Traverwood Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Johnson, Adam	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Johnson, Adam	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Thriller / General / Johnson, Adam	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Thriller / General / Johnson, Adam	4-week checkout	On Shelf

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Masterpiece submitted by eric jacobson on March 7, 2015, 1:58pm Adam Johnson achieves something marvelous in this novel -- a thrilling plot, a political statement to the world, an Orwellian tragedy, a heartbreaking love story, a comment on both the heroic potential and the frightening cruelty of all human beings. Inspiring beyond words. Left me in tears.

Excellent! submitted by rjm5001 on July 6, 2015, 6:57pm This was a storytelling masterpiece. Not only did it perfectly weave together multiple stories, but it was all done under the central theme of storytelling :)

Good if you don't think too hard about it submitted by EJZ on June 16, 2018, 9:06pm A good tale if you don't think too hard about it. It's a quick read and the plot is very interesting, as is the setting in North Korea.

But in the end it felt it was using the setting and society of North Korea as a crutch more than anything. Sensationalizing the awful terrors of life there while glorifying the foil of American life.

The book itself is not far off from the "Citizens!" Propaganda chapters.

A Life in Flashes submitted by shermdock on July 26, 2018, 11:34pm I was suspicious about this book because the title is a descriptive style that irritates me. "The Orphan Master's Son." This book is about one person? A son? A child? The framework on which the vignettes, artfully strung together, make for the telling of fan elaborate tragedy.

The title serves as a red herring of sorts. This story is about an outrageous version of North Korea. There is much evidence that this version of the country is pretty accurate. It's important to remember that this story is written by an American for a Western audience. It uses tropes that you find in American storytelling.

But their are some non-linear segments woven in...because the storytelling transcends time, the book also becomes transcendent.

It's a great book. I don't think of it as a fast read at all. Writing it was an accomplishment. Reading it is too.