Cover design for The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

The events of the book unfold during the rule of Kim Jong-il. The protagonist—brought up in the spirit of serving his country—is a son of a disappeared mother and an influential father in charge of an orphans’ labor camp. The Korean authorities quickly appreciate the devotion and intuition of the boy. Considering himself a “humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world,” Pak Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper and abducts Japanese citizens under the guise of a signalman on a fishing boat. He goes to America as a member of a diplomatic delegation, but ends up in jail.

The cover