“The Orphan Master’s Son” by Adam Johnson
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson, a selection for the 2013 Tournament of Books, is exactly the kind of book I’ve come to hope for from the tournament. I’d heard that it was good, but not until I read it myself, and it reached out and dragged me into it for 440 odd pages, did I appreciate HOW good, or how glad I am to have this book in my life now.
A boy in North Korea, who is NOT an orphan as he defensively tells people throughout his life, grows up and has improbable adventures with unbelievable coincidences. Horrible and wondrous things happen. It’s like a Dickens story set in a communist state, the details of which are so insane it reads like satire, but probably isn’t. Especially in the second half of the book, point of view and time switch suddenly and often, yet I didn’t have trouble following the narrative. This reminded me of David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, except without the bat$hit crazy magic stuff. Kim Jong Il = bat$hit crazy all by himself, no magic needed. I loved this book, and highly recommend it.
February 15th, 2013 at 9:32 pm
I’ve read 8 of the choices and it is currently my favorite to win the whole thing.
February 16th, 2013 at 8:32 am
Patricia, I feel about it like I feel about Sisters Brothers from last year, like I want to seize it and hold it up and yell about how great it is.
February 16th, 2013 at 8:52 am
dang it sounds so good!!!
February 16th, 2013 at 9:16 am
One of my favorites from last year. And one I likely would not have picked up if not for the ToB.
February 16th, 2013 at 10:32 am
I’m definitely going to read this now. It’s been on my to-read list since I read Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick. (You should read that as a companion, the best nonfiction book I read in 2012.)