Not So Out of This World
The word ‘dystopia’ brings to
mind some of the most powerful and prescient works of English fiction: Brave New World, 1984, and The Handmaid’s Tale are just a few
examples. I am drawn to these stories
for their breadth of imagination, sharp satire, and dense gloominess. The
Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson is the new dystopia in town. However,
the world it describes is not so new – nor so very far away.
Set in North Korea, Johnson’s
novel follows the story of an everyman (albeit a trapped in hyper-communist,
despotic North Korean everyman) as he seeks his identity. The protagonist, Pak
Jun Do, wants to connect with others, and in doing so to know himself. He
struggles in this desire against a society where self-reliance, not connectedness,
is esteemed.
At the center of this story is
the question of trust. In Pak Jun Do’s world, the ‘story’ of the truth is
constructed for one purpose only: to support and venerate the state and its
leader. No other versions are permitted, on pain of death, or – unbelievably –
worse than death. The book is not without beauty; there is a tender love story,
and humour. The landscape is gray as ashes, but bursts of colour and
hopefulness peek out.
If you are not familiar with the
setting, this book will enlighten. Johnson describes a nation where there are
perfectly groomed highways, but no cars; modern high-rise apartment buildings,
but no electricity to light them after dark, and no news, music, movies, or
books, except for those sanctioned by the ‘Dear Leader’, Kim Jong Il (or
smuggled at extreme risk). The author had little need to invent. One symbol I
felt must surely be pure imaginative hubris on the part of the author is the
KIMJUNGILIA, a species of begonia specifically bred to honour Kim Jung Il. It
blooms on his birthday. Absurd, but very real details like this punctuate the
book.
Read The Orphan Master’s Son
because it is an engaging story, hauntingly told, but also to experience North
Korea, a dystopia in our midst.
For some excellent photos that capture the feeling of the
novel, I encourage you to visit this site:
I don’t know how I feel about commercials for books, but
here’s a link to the ‘book trailer’:
No comments:
Post a Comment