The Orphan Master's Son cover art

The Orphan Master's Son

A Novel

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The Orphan Master's Son

By: Adam Johnson
Narrated by: Tim Kang, Josiah D. Lee, James Kyson Lee, Adam Johnson
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About this listen

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2013

An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master’s Son follows a young man’s journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world’s most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea.

Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother - a singer “stolen” to Pyongyang - and 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 “a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world,” 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 “so pure, she didn’t know what starving people looked like.”

Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Master’s 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 Master’s Son ushers Adam Johnson into the small group of today’s greatest writers.

From the Hardcover edition.

©2011 Adam Johnson (P)2011 Random House Audio Literary Fiction Suspense Fiction Celebrity South Korea Exciting

Critic Reviews

  • Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
“An addictive novel of daring ingenuity, a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty, and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love - The Orphan Master’s Son is a brave and impressive book.” (David Mitchell, author of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet)
“I’ve never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master’s Son is a masterpiece.” (Charles Bock, author of Beautiful Children)
“Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters, whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel.” (Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone)

What listeners say about The Orphan Master's Son

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Profile Image for B_R

Unexpected brilliance

As this book had been recommended to me, I had no idea what it was about before I listened to it - I'm not one for back cover blurbs. So The Orphan Master's Son's unique and poignant story line about a North Korean intelligence agent surprised me at every turn. Johnson's brilliance is demonstrated not only in the crazy plot, but also in his portrayal of life in North Korea and his construction of the cast of characters. This novel is Orwellian, satirical, witty and educational all at once. It certainly offers the reader insights as to the value of freedom and of life itself.

The narrators were brilliant also, adding authenticity to the tale. It was always clear which character was speaking or narrating. I particularly loved the voice of the Dear Leader.

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A great novel from start to finish

Loved this book and a fascinating tale about a fictional but real North Korea

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Loved this book

Why does the selective outrage of the Western woke hypocrites not extend to North Korea?

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Profile Image for Ballina Beach

Fabulous journey with John Doe (Jun Do)

Extraordinary insight into life of the people under the completely mad dictatorship. Much more compelling following the life of Jun Do. And in part 2 of the interrogator as well as the new jun do. Very clever. Could not stop reading/listening!!
Marvellous & imaginative.
Narrators excellent

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Profile Image for Louise

Informative and entertaining

An amazing story , cleverly written and well performed. Exposes a lot about North Korea and it's tyrannical leader.
Best audio I have listened to this year.

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Great story but so hard to listen to!

This is a magnificent story and beautifully told but it is so tragic that it’s hard to listen to in long blocks.

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Profile Image for B Nilsson

Eye Opening, bleak, gripping

Wow, if even part of it was modelled on truth, that is some bleak way of existence. Story was gripping, well told from different perspectives. This was my first fiction book in a long time. Glad I took the recommendation of a friend.

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Profile Image for Sketcher

Even for North Korean standards unbelievable s

This was my first fictional story about North Korea after reading a couple non fictional books. Can't say I was impressed. Even for North Korean standards this story seems to be a bit out there and not very convincing. Many things just don't make sense. Happy it's finished. Going back to non fiction for now.

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Slow storey

It took a while to get into this and I was engaged for a while and then it jumped to a new section and I couldn't get back into it

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