The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

"A deep, gut wrenching, emotional roller coaster of a novel that take awhile to hits its stride but once it does, it never lets up. An interesting look at what life could actually be like in North Korea and it makes me grateful for the life that I have and all the freedoms that come with it."

5 Stars

Pros: Jun Do (John Doe) is an everyman, an easily relatable character who does as he's told, even when he knows they're wrong. He does it because he's seen that those who question, are punished. It was a frighteningly, eye opening, fantastic, thought provoking read. 

Cons: It took a little bit to get going but once it did, it was amazing and terrifying all at once. 

Full Review: 

Raised as an Orphan, all Jun Do knows is that his mother was a singer. He tries to take care of the other Orphans but they're all carted away eventually and he too grows out of the orphanage. He starts working in tunnels until he's approached by a military commander who takes him on "missions" wherein he's tasked with kidnapping people. He does as he's told, even though left and right he watches as others attempt to defect. And though he too wants to leave, to see what life is like beyond the frightening, totalitarianism of North Korea, he is afraid because he's seen what happens to those who try to leave and are brought back. 

He is sent to language school where he learns English and is then stationed on a shipping boat, tasked with translating radio transmissions he intercepts. None of them are of any great importance but there's a duo of women boaters who are attempting to row around the world. He listens to their broadcasts and follows their stories closely. Everything begins to change when a boat full of Americans board the ship and the second mate tries to attack them for spoiling their possessions. They return to shore and the second mate is deemed a "hero" but when he later on comes to Jun Do, bloody and beaten, Jun realizes what becoming a hero entails. 

Soon, his life takes a turn for the horrific as he again boards the ship and sets out onto the water. It's hard to say anything more without giving stuff away but suffice it to say, even things that don't seem connected or important become vital in the end.

Though it was a pretty unbelievable story, that didn't make it any less absorbing, both for its horrors of starvation, poverty and brutality, as well as for the innate kindness and compassion that lives in Jun Do's heart. He is a kind person in a very unkind world and when he starts to question everything that he's ever known ,it puts him in extreme danger but he finds a reason to keep going. 

This novel took awhile to hook me but once it did, I didn't want to stop reading. An interesting mix of romance, drama, and surrealism as the author tries to portray what life may actually be like in the mysterious and dangerous country of North Korea. This is a  novel that will stay with me for a very long, long time and one that will remind to be grateful to have the life I have and all the freedoms that come with it.