The release date for the English version of 'The Orphan Master's Son' by
Adam Johnson is Jan 2012. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
Pak Jun Do is the troubled son of a singer who was "stolen" to Pyongyang and a powerful father who oversees Long Tomorrows, an orphan labor camp. There, the youngster gets his first taste of authority: he gets to choose which orphans get to eat first and who has to work physical labor. Acknowledged for his fidelity and astute observations, Jun Do gains the notice of state authorities, advances through the ranks, and embarks on a path that leads nowhere.
Jun Do, who views himself as "a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world," turns into a professional kidnapper who has to survive by navigating the random brutality, changing laws, and perplexing demands of his Korean rulers. Driven to the brink of human endurance, he daringly assumes the perilous role of Kim Jong Il's competitor in an effort to rescue the great actress Sun Moon, whom he loves, who is "so pure, she didn't know what starving people looked like."
The Orphan Master's Son is a gripping portrayal of a world hitherto hidden from view: a North Korea teeming with famine, corruption, and casual brutality but also with camaraderie, snatched moments of beauty, and love. It is part thrilling thriller, part narrative of innocence lost, and part story of passionate love. Adam Johnson joins the exclusive club of contemporary authors with The Orphan Master's Son, a literary masterpiece.
The Orphan Master's Son is an epic tale and an exciting literary discovery that chronicles a young man's adventure across the freezing seas, shadowy tunnels, and creepy spy rooms of North Korea, the most enigmatic government in the world.