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ealfving's review against another edition
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Death of parent, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child death
clavishorti's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Drenched in an eerie metallic scent, twenty-six-year-old Yu-Jin awakens to a cryptic phone call from his brother, unraveling a harrowing mystery. A stylish Seoul duplex becomes the haunting backdrop as Yu-Jin discovers his mother’s lifeless body, triggering a desperate three-day quest to uncover the chilling truth about that fateful night. In The Good Son by Jeong You-Jeong, where memories blur and seizures cast shadows, the urgent question echoes: Who can you trust when even yourself is a mystery?
Exploring the pages of Jeong You-Jeong’s The Good Son, I found a captivating blend of psychological thriller and mysterious elements. Despite initially sensing the direction of the narrative, suspicions about certain characters and uncertainties create layers of inner intelligence, inviting deep engagement.
Delving into the English translation by Kim Chi-Young, I felt connected to the clarity of sentences and expressions that flowed seamlessly. The ease of capturing the core of the story allowed me to fully immerse myself without grappling with language barriers. While the narrative at the outset induces a touch of boredom and occasionally falls into wordiness, over time, I found myself captivated and absorbed in the increasingly profound journey of the story.
With this initial gradual pace, I began to wonder if it was intentional to provide a stage for the development of the main character, Yu-Jin. The author’s decision to build the narrative slowly becomes a kind of clever tactic, paving the way for a more in-depth exploration of Yu-Jin’s psychological complexity.
As the plot unfolds, my interest reaches its zenith, creating emotional tension and an irresistible curiosity. One aspect that makes The Good Son shine is how the author successfully presents Yu-Jin’s internal debate with himself. This exposition reveals psychological intricacies in a brilliant manner, drawing the reader into a biting psychological struggle, creating unexpected dimensions of darkness. Thus, as I delve into layer after layer of the story, it’s not just about reading; it’s about feeling the emotional vibrations and inner intelligence permeating through every page.
Despite not encountering truly special elements, the reading journey in The Good Son by Jeong You-Jeong remains satisfying, akin to navigating through corridors of psychological brilliance. Perhaps, with bolder execution, particularly in the context of the psychological thriller genre, this story has the potential to create a more profound impact. An enticing invitation beckoning readers to explore deeper and more challenging psychological layers suggests that the true mystery may not have fully unfolded yet.
Exploring the pages of Jeong You-Jeong’s The Good Son, I found a captivating blend of psychological thriller and mysterious elements. Despite initially sensing the direction of the narrative, suspicions about certain characters and uncertainties create layers of inner intelligence, inviting deep engagement.
Delving into the English translation by Kim Chi-Young, I felt connected to the clarity of sentences and expressions that flowed seamlessly. The ease of capturing the core of the story allowed me to fully immerse myself without grappling with language barriers. While the narrative at the outset induces a touch of boredom and occasionally falls into wordiness, over time, I found myself captivated and absorbed in the increasingly profound journey of the story.
With this initial gradual pace, I began to wonder if it was intentional to provide a stage for the development of the main character, Yu-Jin. The author’s decision to build the narrative slowly becomes a kind of clever tactic, paving the way for a more in-depth exploration of Yu-Jin’s psychological complexity.
As the plot unfolds, my interest reaches its zenith, creating emotional tension and an irresistible curiosity. One aspect that makes The Good Son shine is how the author successfully presents Yu-Jin’s internal debate with himself. This exposition reveals psychological intricacies in a brilliant manner, drawing the reader into a biting psychological struggle, creating unexpected dimensions of darkness. Thus, as I delve into layer after layer of the story, it’s not just about reading; it’s about feeling the emotional vibrations and inner intelligence permeating through every page.
Despite not encountering truly special elements, the reading journey in The Good Son by Jeong You-Jeong remains satisfying, akin to navigating through corridors of psychological brilliance. Perhaps, with bolder execution, particularly in the context of the psychological thriller genre, this story has the potential to create a more profound impact. An enticing invitation beckoning readers to explore deeper and more challenging psychological layers suggests that the true mystery may not have fully unfolded yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Car accident
rafacolog's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, Blood, Stalking, and Murder
daepyonimst's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
catandherbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Blood, Murder, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident
vonni's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Animal death, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Medical content
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Car accident, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
bluejayreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
For a thriller based around the protagonist being unsure if he actually committed the murder, this book is remarkably slow-paced. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it was reasonably interesting. I'm not much of a crime fiction reader, but it was interesting enough. My problem was the ending - it may sound weird to say, but too many questions got answered. I thought the one big underlying question (whether Yu-jin was born a psychopath or made into a murderer by his aunt's "treatment") was going to be left ambiguous and up to the reader's interpretation. You could make a solid argument for either answer to the question, and leaving it unresolved would make it more of a theme that the book explored. But the very end of the book just straight-up answered the question. Suddenly that big underlying philosophical question wasn't a theme or something I could think about after I finished the book, but just another question to be answered by the end of a mystery book. What could have been a book that was not particularly my thing but interesting nevertheless lost all appeal with an on-page answer to the big question. And that really ruined the whole book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Grief and Stalking
Control/manipulation through medical meanssecrethistory's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Overall I was disappointed. The familial themes were by far the most interesting, but we were led through a farce of a mystery where nothing was ever in doubt. The writing was very engaging, the themes were interesting, but the actual plot dragged for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
nadir's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Mental illness, Death, Blood, and Car accident
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death