Discussion questions for The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

1. What makes Pak Jun Do believe he is the son of the Orphan Master?  Is he?  How do you know?
2. How does a child become an orphan in North Korea?  What are orphans used for and why are they despised by North Koreans?
3. What do you make of the various characters who express their horror at life in America and the American’s lack of protection by their own government?  Why would North Koreans prefer their life to that of Americans?
4. The book is disjointed as it shifts perspective, time periods, and even genres. Did you find the structure confusing? The author has described his book as a “trauma narrative.” What does he mean?
5. How would you describe this book: thriller, coming-of-age, romance, satire, political dystopia, or something else?  Are the two parts the same genre?
6. How much did you know about North Korea before reading The Orphan Master’s Son?  How has it changed your perspective on life there?
7. Why is Sun Moon’s the only name translated into English when every other name is written phonetically?
8. The Orphan Master’s Son won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2013.  The other finalists were What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.  Have you read either of these other books?  Would you have awarded the Pulitzer to Johnson’s book?

For more questions, check out the publisher’s resources.

Want to share your own questions with us?