A review by afi_whatafireads
The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

"But I realized who I was. I was his mother. He was my child. That’s a fact that can’t be erased no matter what. I felt paralyzed with feelings and tried for weeks to push everything away."

A spiralling and intriguing story, and one that had made me question everything that I've read from the very beginning. Its notably interesting to read from the POV of an unreliable narrator, let alone, them being a psychopath. Whilst we know who the killer is, the process of knowing the why's and the process of it all, is what had made this story for me so so so bloody good. I was engrossed. I was fully invested. The turmoil, his anger and the narrator's frustrations was written so well - it was as though we were there with Yu-Jin, through every step of him tracing back his memories.

Its vile. Its horrifying. Its a take on human nature and a mother's love.

I don't even want to spoil the book too much, but I love how, I read the last 100 pages with the audiobook, and it brought me to another height of anxiety and fear. The narrators had done such a wonderful job in portraying the emotions of the characters, and good lord was it intense. Please give the audiobook a go to! It elevated my experience to a whole new level.

And whilst its intense and made me lowkey going WTF - its also heartbreaking at a certain level.
(view spoiler) The relationship of a mother and a child - is it something that can be severed easily? I feel that, that's one of the winning points of this book. Its in the way it showed a new level of complexity with the relationship between mother and son.

Overall, it was definitely such a great read for me. I freaking loved it. To me - its a novel that will keep you on edge, and will let you in the ins of the minds of the darkest side of a human. Sinister and vile, I enjoyed this tremendously!

Personal Ratings: 4.5🌟