The Next Book on my List?

With the death of Kim Jong Il and the ascension of Kim Jong Eun, the world and the US seems to have become more interested in North Korea. My interest has remained steadfast. I used to comb the internets looking for interesting stories and pictures from folks who had been to North Korea and come back to tell about it. Needless to say first hand accounts are rare.

A couple of weeks back I posted a snippet of some Shock Fiction about a woman giving birth in North Korea by Linda Chavez(here). I think this book I read a review of in the WSJ today (here) called the Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, I've decided to move it to the top of my list.



Why the immediate movement to the top of the queue? This line within the review A Parallel World Above the 38th by Sam Sacks tickled my fancy and should whet your appetite to go read the whole magilla.

"So the novel cunningly imagines its way into the highest echelons of the North Korean government. In real life, Kim Jong Il composed critical works on cinema and opera, and Mr. Johnson portrays him as a self-styled artist who believes that he is literally writing and directing the destinies of his people. The dictator is obsessed with a coming visit from the Texas senator, whom he plans to humiliate in ways large (by lavishly reconstructing a Texas ranch, where hundreds of child gymnasts will perform) and small (engineers are instructed to produce a .46-caliber revolver, to one-up the classic American firearm)."

A ranch full of gymnasts and a .46 caliber? Got to be worth a read.