The Orphan Master's Son Characters

So NOT an OrphanIf there's one thing Jun Do doesn't want to be, it's an orphan. The trouble is—he's an orphan. What's the big deal? Well, orphans have a pretty low status in North Korea. They're...

Lucky Star?Sun Moon? Adam Johnson could not have found a more elevated name for his stunner of an actress. The name certainly seems to suit her ethereal beauty and transcendent persona. Her power o...

The Man with No NameThe Interrogator begins his narrative in a chillingly clinical manner, describing the torture session of a professor who had the misfortune to play K-pop songs to his class. In...

Caricature or Character?There's no doubt that Adam Johnson was having a grand old time when he created the character of Kim Jong Il for his book. While this totalitarian leader had a terrifying gri...

The Man with A Lot to LoseComrade Buc is the opposite of Jun Do: he's got family (and lots of it), he comes from a long line of distinguished people, he has a high social standing, and he seems not...

Best Super Macho Military LeaderThe real Commander Ga—the guy who wins the Golden Belt for his prowess in taekwondo, the real husband of Sun Moon, and the terror of gays throughout North Korea—...

A Tragic BackstoryOkay, we know what you're thinking: every character in this novel has a tragic backstory. You have a point. But the Captain's tale of woe somehow seems extra specially tragic, per...

Dirty JobMongnan is an old woman working the least desirable job on earth: she takes photographs of prisoners when they enter the camp and again when they die. She bears witness to the inhumanity o...

First GirlIt doesn't escape us that Q-Kee's cutesy, wickedly unprofessional name is a near phonetic match for the English word "kooky." While it's tempting to file this character under the "psychop...

As head of the Pubyok, Division 42's old-school, hardcore torture squad, Sarge's job is to break heads and ask questions later. In some ways, he's the polar opposite of the intellectual Interrogato...

We're not 100% sure what Dr. Song is a doctor of, but he's certainly got the propaganda patter down. In fact, when he takes the North Korean contingent to Texas to negotiate with the Senator, he's...

Symbol of a NationMuch like the Nikes that wash up near the Junma, Allison Jensen becomes symbolic of all that is American: strength, confidence (even arrogance), individualism, self-determination....

Although Gil appears only briefly at the beginning of the narrative, he's a crucial part of Jun Do's education. It's through Gil that Jun Do learns about the "reward system," something that allows...

Little BrotherIn Jun Do's quest to assemble a family, he inadvertently picks up the Second Mate, who comes to silently adore him. While everyone can see his influence on the younger man (the Captai...

Beauty Can't Save HerThe Second Mate's wife, like so many other characters, has very little to identify her—she doesn't even have a name. We know that she's an absolute stunner, which is weird fo...

An Important FriendshipWanda peeks into the narrative only twice, but her presence really stirs things up for Jun Do. The two begin their acquaintance in Texas, when she drops this philosophical bo...

Don't Mess with TexasThe Senator, like several other characters in the novel, doesn't get a name. He doesn't really need one, since he's meant to represent the American persona as perceived by fore...