Book Review: The Orphan Master's Son (48 in 2012? #13)

     Adam Johnson's North Korean epic, The Orphan Master's Son, is my favorite book so far on the quest to read 48 books this year.  This tale about identity, the quest for truth, and the trials of living in North Korea is extremely compelling, deeply moving and endlessly interesting.  Johnson pulls the reader into a setting so odd and unfamiliar it might as well be science fiction with great characters and a subtle depiction of life in a country none of us are familiar with, not subtle because the events aren't horrific or over the top, at times they certainly are, but subtle in the way everyone just excepts the events as normal.
     I'm not sure if Johnson set out to write a book about North Korea or if the setting fit for the story he wanted to tell, but it's the setting that makes the novel feel so epic.  Much like my comments on Joe Nesbo's work, I have no idea where Johnson's depictions of North Korea leave true life and start to become part of his fiction, but in this case if doesn't much matter.  North Korea in The Orphan Master's Son could just as easily be a made up world and the theme's would all remain the same.  Johnson's North Korea is a land of made up realities all aimed toward each individual's survival.  What is true and what is a lie changes from day to day, if not hour to hour.  This duplicity becomes fertile ground for the growth of deep compelling characters that both move and confuse the readers on their search an identity of their own.
     This novel is well written and never for a moment hard to get through.  It takes the first 50 pages or so to get used to the world Johnson is writing from, but once you become accustomed to what is going on it doesn't stop pulling you through to the end.  Johnson style is never wordy, yet never feels simple either.  This is a great book and a wonderful read.