The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong

 

 

 

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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.

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Title : The Good Son

Author : You-Jeong Jeong

Published year : 2018

Pages : 309

Language : English

Genre  : Psylogical Thriller

Age Recommendation : 18+ 

I know it won't an easy read when it comes to reading You-Jeong Jeong's work. Mostly, she wrote based on the killer's point of view, and most of the time, they have mental health issues. But still, I didn't expect I was thrown and agitated learning about the killer's 'struggle'.Because it is so real like I am in the maze of evil's brain and I cannot judge him.
 
So the story is about Why-did-it, not Who-done-it. You can guess the plotline, all the way from the beginning if you had read several works of the Author. They have the same writing style.
 
There is Yujin, twenty-five years old boy who lives under her mother's roof together with his best friend and adoptive brother, Hae-jin (yes the name is a bit confusing). Yu-jin's life should be wonderful, he is a former swimming champion, smart and young. But, inside, He's handicapped by his disease, epileptic. The disease also end his swimming career and made his life under 24-hours surveillance by her mother.
 
Secretly, Yu-jin likes to sneak away from his house at midnight thru the roof stairs and run to the sea wall. Usually, the neighbor's dog always makes a sound whenever he climbs the stairs, like notifying anyone he's run away from the house.
 
One day, he woke up and feel the metallic smell while whole his body was covered in blood, not his. Downstairs, he found his mother's bloody body and a trace of blood along the stairs up to his room.
 
The thing is, he didn't remember much about last night. He tried to remember by analyzing the things that usually happen around his routines. He remembers about being raining last night, he noticed his muddy shoes, but why did he find mud trace in her mother's shoes? About her white night-gown, something he purchased for her mother's birthday but barely seen to be worn. A car key in her mother's gown.

He didn't hurry to call the Police. He analyzes every detail possibility that happened during the night while trying to reach his black-out memories. He knows the Police will suspect him if he found the blood trace, so the best thing is to clean the body and the house before his adoptive brother gets home and suspect him.

On and on, his selective memories come back in pieces, not only what happened recently, but also during his teenage years, child-age. The memories about his passed brother, Yu-Min, a razor that belongs to his father, his eagerness to keep swimming but prohibited by his mother.

He found her mother's journal that spans his early years. He didn't recall what happen until he read it in the journal, but once he remember, he remember every piece and detail about it.

Likewise, I know who did it from the start, and I have a glimpse of what happened in the past that craved his relationship with his mother. To be honest, the early chapter is quite slow and dragging especially when Yu-Jin tries to analyze what happened at the crime scene. Once he got the realization of who had done it, and his memories came back, it become a page-turner (about page 50 and so on).

Yu-jin feels betrayed during his whole life when he thought he is epileptic, not the way around, the medicine made his seizure. He loves the sensation when he is no longer taking the medicine, his sense is sharper, though he must deal with the headache.

Reading the journal, sporadically, he finally understands what happened during the years, why his mother was so protective of him, and who should be blamed for his failure to become the greatest swimmer. He knows, he holds grudges for a very long time.

While I, the reader, was so awed trailing the maze of a psychopath's brain. His non-existent moral compass, his brilliant brain, to be honest not a fun ride but you know you gotta continue because you want to know the ending door. Like a visiting haunted house, you know it will scare you, but you just want to know.

Even after I finished reading, the aftershock still lingers on me. I hate reading something like this (like watching You-at Netflix), but the journey was crazily good (but I'm DNF-ing You because it's too disturbing).
 
I read that several famous serial killers in Korea inspired the author to write about Yu-Jin, and yet I cannot comprehend them, but I understand Yu Jin (but not endorsed his act).
 
Well, actually, after reading it, I gotta checking every door if it has been locked at the night. Because I don't want a strange psychopath to come to my house and kill me and my family just because they have an episode. Yes, Imagine, that's the impact after reading this book.
 
Yet, if you love psychological thrills, I recommend this book. You don't have to guess who do it, you will know right away, but relax, there are unexpected events along the way that made your grip tighter like whenever you watch horror movies. It's a hell ride!