Author: Jeong You-jeong
Translated by: Kim Chi-young
Publisher: Little Brown, 2018
Original title: 종의 기원, 2016
Link to online store *
Early one morning, twenty-six-year-old Yu-jin wakes up to a strange metallic smell, and a phone call from his brother asking if everything’s all right at home – he missed a call from their mother in the middle of the night. Yu-jin soon discovers her murdered body, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs of their stylish Seoul duplex. He can’t remember much about the night before; having suffered from seizures for most of his life, Yu-jin often has trouble with his memory. All he has is a faint impression of his mother calling his name. But was she calling for help? Or begging for her life?
Thus begins Yu-jin’s frantic three-day search to uncover what happened that night, and to finally learn the truth about himself and his family. A shocking and addictive psychological thriller, The Good Son explores the mysteries of mind and memory, and the twisted relationship between a mother and son, with incredible urgency.
LKL says:
This is an entertaining read which is sufficiently international in outlook for a reader not to require a Korean cultural primer to read. It’s the sort of novel that’s ideal for reading on holiday, when you need a book which doesn’t ask you to try too hard.
LKL rating: 
. Read our review of this book here.
External links:
- Review by Paul Fulcher (PF rating: ).
- Entry on Goodreads.com.
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