The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong – Reviewed by Guy Portman
Yu-jin awakens one morning in his apartment covered in blood. On heading downstairs, he discovers his mother’s body. Despite the fact she has evidently been brutally slain, he has no memory of what occurred. The 26-year-old Yu-jin has been afflicted with seizures and blackouts for much of his life, and he has recently stopped taking his pills.
The ensuing narrative sees our surprisingly calm protagonist attempt to piece together what has happened. This self-discovery entails the former swimmer reading his mother’s journal entries, which are juxtaposed with his own emotions and recollections. These include a dark incident from his adolescence. Much of what he reads and determines pertains to his despised psychiatrist aunt.
The Good Son is a psychological thriller set in Seoul, South Korea. This individual was intrigued by its detached and psychopathic main character. However, the incessant analysis and dearth of first-hand action was not to his taste. These qualms relate largely to the nature of the genre; other readers will no doubt find this well-received novel more engrossing.
