you-jeong jeong le origini del male

899 reviews 464 followers

Edited July 9, 2021

This is one of those books where I really don't want to give too much away. It's a claustrophobic, tense and surprising tale of a few days in the life of a twenty-six-year-old male student. Yu-jin, awakes one day, in his home, afraid that he's had a seizure. He's clearly had these before and feels that this might account for his feelings of disorientation. What happened the night before? He can't recall. He's soon to discover the surprising truth. But not everything is quite as it seems, as we are to find out.

Set in South Korea, there's an element of things feeling slightly 'off' from the start. I do like translated fiction as the books tend to highlight differences in culture and behaviour that I find fascinating. The stories are inclined to surprise me as the feel of the narrative is somehow subtly altered by the different way people relate to each other and the off-centre (to me) way the characters live their daily lives. That said, this is crime fiction and therefore the core of the tale should be familiar - shouldn't it? Well, no. Not in this case, at least.

As Yu-jin explores the apartment he shares with his mother he quickly discovers one surprise after another. These trigger memories – or rather partial memories – of a few words spoken here and there and some actions taken by him the previous night. But the picture still doesn't knit together, nothing seems to make sense. What the hell has happened here?

We begin to learn more as flashbacks to Yu-jin's early life are interspersed with present day activity. The plot thickens as we discover more about the relationship he shared with his mother and then of a father and brother too. This is a psychological thriller that teases and shocks and saddens. And then, towards the end, as I began to see the pieces coming together and I thought I had worked out how it would all be resolved, I realised that I was wrong.

It's a gripping tale that held me totally in its grasp throughout. If you're a fan of this type of story, then please do give this one a try. It's different, and I mean that in a very good way.

My sincere thanks to Little, Brown Book Group for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2,038 reviews 21.2k followers

Edited May 11, 2021

i read in another review that this is a WHYdunnit, rather than a WHOdunnit, and i honestly couldnt agree more.

as a characters study and a reflection of the psychology behind murder, this is fascinating. with no twists or big reveals - if anything, the plot is rather predicable - this is a very slow descent into madness.

however, im noticing that the east asian writing style just isnt quite for me when it comes to this genre. the books tend to be short with very few chapters that are always sooo long (like 50+ pages) and a 70/30 breakdown of narration to dialogue. all of this just makes the story drag for me, regardless of how much im enjoying the content.

but overall, this is a quick, interesting read for anyone who prefers more character focused mystery/thrillers.

↠ 3.5 stars

274 reviews 2,391 followers

Edited September 1, 2018

FOUR STARS

I love to read crime fiction from other countries and THE GOOD SON is the bestselling thriller in South Korea for good reason. This story is told entirely from the killer's point of view and it's a slow burning, in-depth character analysis of a psychopathic killer. This is a WHYdunnit, not a WHOdunnit. There are not any shocking American-style twists involved, and you will easily see the ending reveal coming.

I love the culture switch-up in my reading--you get to see up close the subtle differences in values--what's important, what's different....In Korean culture, family honor is a very strongly held belief and is a significant theme in THE GOOD SON. Now, mix those esteemed beliefs up with a kid that is a sociopath from birth and you have an interesting juxtaposition of theories to play around with. I admire and respect this book immensely.

BUT.... to be perfectly honest, while I appreciate the style and beauty of Jeong's writing, I can't say I enjoyed this book. It's definitely me-- not the book. I started out listening to the audio, but switched over to Kindle. I felt the exact same way when I listened to You, the story is completely claustrophobic and I had to DNF that book after 50% in. Something about listening to the killer's thoughts without any other views breaking up the tedium is just too much for me! This is a fairly graphic, violent book.

I did like the book much better in print, without this creepy killer's voice in my head! If you are a fan of You or The Perfect Nanny, check out this murderous family tale. It's dark, disturbing and fascinating.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.

audio

books-bejeweled

686 reviews 881 followers

June 27, 2018

Not only do I love stories of psychopathic children but I absolutely adore Asian mysteries and crime fiction and was very excited to read The Good Son.

The story begins with 26 year old Yu-Jin waking up to the metallic smell of blood. As he begins to get his bearings straight he realizes he's covered in blood and his sheets are soaked with it. He's confused. He is epileptic and the medication causes him to have black outs. He sets out to discover the source of the blood. As he makes his way through the two story flat he shares with his mother and adopted brother he see's bloody footprints every where. He follows the evidence downstairs to discover his mother has been brutally murdered in their kitchen. <--- Not a spoiler, I promise! :)

From here we reside within the psychopathic mind of Yu-Jin as he pieces together what and why it happened. While being in the mind of a psychopath can be fun in fiction it can also become tedious. I found the first third and last third of this book quite interesting but it stalls in the middle a bit. Especially in this situation where he's constantly trying to piece together what happened. I kind of just wanted to move on to get the answers I was looking for.

All in all I think this is a successful book as far as a character study goes but it isn't really a thriller or mystery as it is being billed as. I'm still glad I read it though and I'd gladly check out more of this authors work. 3.5 stars!

Thank you to Edelweiss & Penguin Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

edelweiss-arc-s

2,273 reviews 2,499 followers

January 7, 2019

Book Reviewed by Cara on www.whisperingstories.com

Yu-Jin has a doting mother and a brother who loves him. Other than a few health issues he believes he has led a relatively normal life, until one morning when he wakes up covered in blood and finds a dead body downstairs, his mother's. Determined to find out who did this, how and why, Yu-Jin begins an investigation of his own which leads to some very unexpected results.

The good son is a book that will keep you hooked throughout with many twists and turns along the way. You go through a wave of emotions and your feelings for the characters change with every chapter.

Throughout the story the character development increases giving you a clear and very believable idea of what they are like; you'll feel pity, sadness, anger and disbelief at what they are/can be capable of.

I very much enjoyed the story, the way in which it was written made it clear and simple to understand. I liked the different emotions I felt whilst reading and the twists kept the story interesting. I also found the ending, although quite sad, surprisingly satisfying.

I really did not want this book to end.

3,339 reviews 12.7k followers

March 4, 2019

In You-Jeong Jeong's international bestseller the reader is faced with a protagonist whose struggles subsume the narrative, taking away from the story at hand, in my humble opinion. When Yu-jin wakes one morning in a stupor, he asks himself what's happened. Could he have had an epileptic seizure, which would surely account for the metallic blood smell that fills his nostrils? Or, might there have been something more? When he discovers that he is covered in blood, Yu-jin begins to wonder if he has blacked out. As he meanders around his home, he discovers that his mother is nowhere to be found, though a razor is caked with the same blood. Frantic, though trying to cover up what he may have done, Yu-jin struggles to come to terms with what has happened. He finds his mother's journal and reads entries throughout, as he seeks to piece it all together. He is supposed to have been his mother's 'good' child, so could he actually have taken her life? As the story progresses and Yu-jin awaits news about his mother or at least her body, panic sets in, which is fulled by his refusing to take his medication. In a narrative filled with flashbacks that thicken the plot and point to potential reasons that Yu-jin may have been harbouring anger, the reader becomes lost in the tangential queries that turn the story from a strong mystery into an exploration of the heightened senses that Yu-jin has while not on his medication. Did he do it or is there another explanation? For me it became a futile query, as I sought only to finish and push the book away like a bad smell. Recommended for those who may able to see more within these pages than I did, and can see what some popular authors seemed to have discovered when they exuded praise in their dust jacket blurbs.

I love a good mystery as much as the next person, even when the story is penned in a language other than English. However, I have come to see that not all cultures feel the same about mysteries or deem writing quality in the same way. I have read many pieces that have gone through a translator and been blown away, both in Europe and across parts of Asia, but this piece did nothing for me. While I must applaud Jeong for developing her protagonist, there was little I found captivating. Yu-jin began as an interesting character, finding himself surrounded by dried blood and wondering if he could have killed someone. His apparent connection to his mother makes the possible crime all the more interesting, though the story left the realm of 'did he or not?' and became more of a predatory exploration of the mind of an unmediated epileptic. Yu-jin reveals much of his past throughout, fuelled by a journal his mother penned. While some readers may enjoy this, it began to get highly jilted for me and I began hoping for a quick ending or some miraculous turn of events. Alas, neither happened for me. Jeong adds other characters of interest that serve to pull the protagonist in many directions, though I did not feel much from them as well. The story's premise was intriguing, though my Western mindset may have expected something more or better developed. One cannot fault the author entirely, as there was great detail throughout and the narrative did continue its forward movement. I took a moment to wonder if it was the translation that may have staled the experience for me, though I think it was more the stylistic differences from what I am used to reading that left me feeling unfulfilled. It happens, but I cannot pad my review and simply fall on my own sword. Add this one to the list of 'tried it and personal epic fails'. One burning question for me... are novels I love lost on readers from other cultures, if this book is supposed to be so great?

Kudos, Madam Jeong, for your piece. It was not for me and I will blame neither of us for this reading impasse.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

audiobook

3,145 reviews 913 followers

April 11, 2018

The Good Son is a novel that rewards it's readers – a slow burner of a tale, creepy as you like, based around one single character – Yu-jin – who wakes up one morning and finds himself covered in blood and his Mother dead downstairs…but did he kill her? Well that is the question….

Yu-jin has his problems. Epileptic, frequently off his meds, suffering from fugue states, he explores his memory, his past and his present trying to discover his truth. His story gets ever darker and more chilling…the further you read into this the creepier it gets, the prose is tight, controlled and ultimately quite scary, this is a brilliantly observant character study that keeps you on your toes.

The Good Son is subtle in its twisty nature, this is not a novel with a sudden hit of reveal, it is a meander to judgment along an ever darker path, as such it is cleverly nuanced, this was not a story that I pegged the ending of early. In fact it is slippery, hard to grasp onto and somewhat ingenious.

It won't be for everyone that's for sure. Early on you wonder if you can stick with Yu-jin but I recommend you do. This is a different kettle of fish – a beautifully done "did he do it" novel that will stick with you long after finishing it.

Recommended.

192 reviews 1,377 followers

May 3, 2018

Find my full review here: http://crimebythebook.com/blog/2018/4...

Loved, LOVED this harrowing & gripping read. The author takes readers inside the mind of a psychopath with genuinely chilling style. There's a decent amount of violence in this book, but the scariest part of all is how the author brings you inside the mind of the the story's culprit. Strong exploration of family dynamics, too. Highly recommended!

372 reviews 512 followers

Edited August 28, 2018

Who can you trust if you can't trust yourself?
.
.
You-jeong Jeong's "The Good Son" is my first crime novel, novel by a Korean author, and translated Korean novel in couple of years. Wow, this book disappoint! Slow burning, but unputdownable & spellbinding thrilling page-turner, compulsively readable, addictive psychological crime mystery thriller, and a chilling portrait of a psychopath novel by South Korea's preeminent author of psychological thrillers, it will draw you in from the very first page.
.
Although I have not watched a Korean crime movie in a long time, I'm very familiar with how It's done, and this novel had a familiar take on it. I felt like I was watching a movie the entire time. If you've never watched a scary or crime Korean movie, I highly recommend it, you'll be amazed not just by the cinematography & scenery, but how they execute scenes that are not only grotesque, but the whole psychological & suspense aspect will give you chills & nightmares for days. The actors are so into their roles, you'll think it's for real and hope that you'll never meet than on the streets. They know how to mess you up. Also, I find myself translating the words into Korean while reading this book, that's why this book worked so well for me. I may have to read the Korean version some time just to see how well it was translated.
.
The novel starts out with a crime scene. Yu-Jin first discovers his mother murdered, lying in a pool of blood in their kitchen. Yu-Jin has suffered from seizures most of his life and often have trouble with his memory. This isn't a spoiler, there's no doubt from the beginning that it is Yu-Jin who killed his mother, but why? Told from Yu-Jin's POV, a ridiculously unreliable & manipulative narrator, we're pulled into frantic three-day search to discovered what happened the night before. It's a slow-burning page turner, but there's plenty of twists & turns to keep you guessing and fascinating look inside the mind of a psychopath & twisted mother-son relationship.
.
The novel alternates from present-day crime scene & investigation, streams of consciousness of past events, flashbacks, memory slips, fantasies, hallucinations, and yu-Jin's mother's journal entries, with an ending I did not see it coming. Through the journal entries, the gaps start to fill in & learn more about the twisty family past & secrets and tense son & mother relationship. There's also something big that happens midway. 😱 I can't say anymore, but I'll just say yu-Jin is sick in the head with a twisted fascination. I'm not getting any sleep for few days after this novel. I'm scared yu-jin is somewhere watching me! I believe this novel is well translated. It's a dark, atmospheric, thrilling, and twisted thriller I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommend it! 🤓✌️📖

461 reviews 322 followers

May 14, 2018

This was a brilliant and unique read. Be warned, it was slow burning, in the first 20% of the book the setting haven't changed- Yu-jin finds his mother dead downstairs, and doesn't remember anything, keeps moving in the house. I started to think I may not like this book, but I was wrong. It doesn't take long after that for the story take sinister turns and morph into a shocking explanation of everything.
I really liked the style of writing. The ending is not a shocker, if you are looking to have a big secret in the end- you won't have that. But the story itself is amazing. I don't want to give away too much as this book is an experience you should just dive into without knowing anything. Yes, this is one of the books that you can dive in without reading it's description, it will be better!
I love reading Asian literature, and thanks for this beautifully translated book as it was a great read for a crime lover like me!
I can see this being adapted into a movie, or a theater play- even better. Would love to watch the adaptation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 1,488 reviews