Some of you who know me know that over the last couple of years my interest in South Korea has grown thanks to their music, kdramas, particular footballer and most speficially because of a close friend of mine exposing me to it all! That same friend had this book and recommended it to me before sending it to me in the post.
The Good Son, based in a small town South Korea is about 26 year old Yu-Jin who wakes in his room one morning to find he is covered in blood and there is a dead body downstairs. Yu-Jin remembers nothing from the night before as he suffers from seizures and has done for a number of years. He frantically tries to piece together everything he can from the night before to find out what happened while also uncovering the truth about himself and his family.
OK so I was a little bias when starting this book as my friend said she enjoyed it and also I was loving the references to South Korean life. But those aside I did really enjoy this book. While not being hard to follow I did find it intelligently written. While some questions are answered earlier than others it is more the actions of Yu-Jin and those around him that were gripping and intense. I instantly felt connected to the situation and the people I was introduced to and felt the rush of finding out more information about everything.
Now, you don/t need to be a fan of South Korea to read this! It is not really important to the story other than it describes the location in terms of the roads they go down etc and also the names are Korean. Otherwise it is perfectly easy to read and you wont get lost for not knowing anything about Korea!
Considering the story was not too complex and I sort of knew where some things were headed I still found myself surprised at some actions and information throughout the book. I sometimes wonder if reading as many books as I do sometimes makes some books less interesting as its a case of 'read this before' type of story. And while yes this follows similar story lines in a whodunit style it is still a good psychological thriller that provokes a reaction.
The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong
Pages - 309
Goodread Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
