Would you hug her? Hold her close? Love her? The Only Child by Mi-ae Seo is a Korean thriller with a pleasant flow, good dialogues and realistic characters.
Location: The Only Child is set in Seoul, South Korea. The opening scene with the fire takes place in Eungam-dong in the northwestern part of Seoul. The book also mentions Baekryeonsa-gil, Namsan and Ganghwamun square north of the Han river and Sadang Station, Namtaeryeong Hill and Indeokwon south of the Han river towards Anyang.
The Only Child Synopsis
Criminal psychologist Seonkyeong receives an unexpected call one day. Yi Byeongdo, a serial killer whose gruesome murders shook the world, wants to be interviewed. Yi Byeongdo, who has refused to speak to anyone until now, asks specifically for her. Seonkyeong agrees out of curiosity.
That same day Hayeong, her husband’s eleven-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, shows up at their door after her grandparents, with whom she lived after her mother passed away, die in a sudden fire. Seonkyeong wants her to feel at home, but is gradually unnerved as the young girl says very little and acts strangely.
At work and at home, Seonkyeong starts to unravel the pasts of the two new arrivals in her life and begins to see startling similarities. Hayeong looks at her the same way Yi Byeongdo does when he recounts the abuse he experienced as a child; Hayeong’s serene expression masks a temper that she can’t control. Plus, the story she tells about her grandparents’ death, and her mother’s before that, deeply troubles Seonkyeong. So much so that Yi Byeongdo picks up on it and starts giving her advice.
Book review
Seonkyeong, the main character was likable and made you root for whatever she set her mind to. Hayeong, the young daughter of Seonkyeong’s husband, is a different story. From the blurb and the first few chapters, you have an idea of her role in the story. The hints are subtle and well delivered. It is okay that you know more than the main character as it is fun to follow her journey to the truth, cheering her on.
The book starts with a fire and then moves on to chapters about the criminologist and convicted killer, almost making you forget about the fire and the search for the cause. There is only this tiny voice in your mind telling you not to forget. Because of the psychological thriller it is you get very good insights into the thoughts of many of the characters. You start to analyze them yourself and link their past to their actions in the present.
An example is the contrast between how characters perceive being in a womb. For one it feels like suffocating in a pool and for the other like relaxing in a warm bath. Then the two worlds collide and the second person feels like she is one of the killer’s victims floating in the pool. Everything keeps coming back to the killer’s first childhood memories.
I finished this book without noting down any quotes, but with the general idea that the whole book was beautifully written. The blurb tells you exactly what kind of book you are going to read. That might not be for everyone, but I don’t mind not being surprised as long as the story is well-told. The book kept my full attention and made me want to keep reading. A book that can do that is a book I enjoy reading.
I sometimes read books that I don’t enjoy overly much because I appreciate the author’s skills in crafting something unique. An example of that is Vaseline Buddha: a great concept yet not an enjoyable read. The Only Child by Korean author Mi-ae Seo is quite the opposite: no unique concept but fun to read.
There was some suspense in sensing where the story was headed and not being able to do anything about it. For a criminal psychologist, the main character sure has some huge blind spots, also when it comes to people that she doesn’t know well. At one point it is a wannabe horror until it reverts to being a thriller. A light thriller, not too deep. There might have been more potential here, though on the other hand it simply fulfills another reading desire.
The book had something I can only describe as a pleasant flow. The order of chapters and events felt very natural. Some chapters are narrated by someone else and you know who that person is from the beginning. This felt a bit similar to Our Happy Time by Gong Ji-young. The sentences have a nice flow to them, the dialogues feel natural and the characters are realistic. This book was written with a clear goal in mind from the start.
Translated from Korean by Jung Yewon.
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