The King (Corporal King)

The King is a 25-year-old American Corporal and one of two main characters in the novel. The King is one of only twenty-five American prisoners in the camp. He is the most successful black market “trader” and businessman in Changi. As a result, he has been able to thrive in the camp’s harsh environment. Unlike the other men imprisoned in Changi, the King possesses the ability to adapt to almost anything, an innate cunning that allows him to sense not only when there is a profit to be made but also the best way to handle a deal, and a natural magnetism which seems to draw people to him and make them trust him. While his friendship is sought after by most POWs and even guards because of his power and wealth, the King is envied and hated even by those closest to him...