The Orphan Master's Son Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Recommended Reading on North Korea and our BookBrowse Review of The Orphan Master's Son.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How much did you know about North Korea before reading The Orphan Master's Son? How has it changed your perspective on life there?



2. The Orphan Master's Son has been characterized as a thriller, a love story, and a political dystopia. How would you classify the novel in terms of genre? How do you think each of these genres manifests itself in the book?



3. Speaking of genre, Adam Johnson once categorized the novel as a "trauma narrative." How do you interpret that term? Do you think it suitably describes the novel, and if so, in what ways?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Random House. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.