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The Only Child: A Novel Hardcover – International Edition, February 11, 2020
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An eerie and absorbing novel following a criminal psychologist who has discovered shocking and possibly dangerous connections between a serial killer and her stepdaughter. The book to read for fans of the movie Parasite.
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.
Written with exquisite precision and persistent creepiness, The Only Child is psychological suspense at its very best.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherEcco
- Publication dateFebruary 11, 2020
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.01 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-10006290504X
- ISBN-13978-0062905048
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“A valuable addition to the growing list of Korean crime fiction available to American audiences.” — Los Angeles Times
"In this twisted web of coincidence, criminal psychologist Seonkyeong untangles the pasts and motivations of two new acquaintances . . . as both become increasingly menacing presences in her life." — Vanity Fair
"An addictive and shocking psychological thriller. . . . There is a twist here that has to be read to be believed." — Refinery 29
"A creepy psychological thriller. . . . Seo stealthily spins an ever-tightening narrative web setting up a doubly shocking climax. . . . It's a measure of Seo's skill that she manages to find flashes of humanity in a ruthless murderer." — Publishers Weekly
“For fans of Mindhunter, Mi-Ae Seo’s novel The Only Child feels like true crime but is a tour de force of twisty fiction with a shocking ending you won’t be able to stop thinking about. Family secrets abound in this fine novel of psychological suspense.” — Alma Katsu, author of The Deep and The Hunger
This is one creepy book. Come for the serial killers, criminal profilers and spooky children, stay for the twisting character studies and insight into domestic trauma. But check all the locks first. — Thomas Mullen, author of Darktown
“Wholly absorbing, but without any pandering on the author's part, so that the language, the style, and the mood grow about you, as you slip deeper into the story and realize, quite suddenly, you are immersed. An eerie, electrifying read.” — Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box
About the Author
Mi-Ae Seo is a bestselling thriller writer and screenwriter in Korea.
Product details
- Publisher : Ecco (February 11, 2020)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 006290504X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062905048
- Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.01 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,539,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11,487 in Serial Killer Thrillers
- #15,127 in Psychological Fiction (Books)
- #27,153 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Seo Miae was born in Punggi. She moved to Seoul at the age of 8 and has lived in Seoul until now. She fell into the fun of mystery novels and became a maniac of mystery novels in the middle school.
She started writing poetry for the first time after entering a college. At the age of 20, she was elected to a contest and debuted as a poet. After graduating from a college, she began her career as a broadcasting writer and turned into a screenplay writer, while writing mystery novels, too. She won the Annual Spring Literary Contest for 30 WAYS TO KILL YOUR HUSBAND and it became a play which was the biggest hit of the year and became a steady seller until now.
From 1994 to 2005, she has focused on screenplay and only wrote short stories. In 2000, she wrote a scenario for Korean animation MY BEAUTIFUL GIRL, MARY which won Grand Prix (Best Feature Film) at the 26th Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
In 2006, her first book 30 WAYS TO KILL YOUR HUSBAND was published and she started to devote herself to write mystery novels. And some of her short stories became TV drama and movies. She also met experts in all fields related to the scientific investigation of Korea and consulted the police in the initial investigation of Yu Yeongcheol, the most famous serial killer in Korea. Motivated by Yu Yeongcheol case, she wrote a novel THE GARDEN OF A DOLL and won the Korean Mystery Award.
In 2010, THE ONLY CHILD was published and the film rights were sold just after the publication. And her next novel ARIN’S EYES and THE NIGHT YOUR STAR DISAPPEARED were published.
She is writing the 2nd book of THE ONLY CHILD and also preparing TV drama and nonfiction with the best profiler in Korea.
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What really fascinated me with this story is the psychology behind the three main characters. The reader gets to go right along with Seonkyeong as she works her way through her own reactions to Yi Byeongdo and Haeyong and tries to use her training as a psychologist to understand how each of them has been shaped by their experiences. There are unexpected twists along the way and the ending could have gone a few different ways and wasn't quite what I expected. Overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Even though the story is set in South Korea, the issues addressed are universal.
This author is able to congour imagery without casting a spell. I look forward to another book by this author, provided that children are not victimized.
First of all, this book was translated from Korean and you can tell. There are things that characters say that people don’t say when they speak English. For example several times someone says “what’s the oldest memory in your mind?” rather than “what’s your first memory?” or “what’s your oldest memory?” This issue of translation also causes the sentences to be chunky and lack flow. Certain things are hugely redundant, which could be in the original or just be because of the translation. Korean and English are very different languages, so translating between them would be a struggle, but in this case it wasn’t done well. The story itself is rather rough: I had to push myself through the first chapter. Seonkyeong is a psychologist and, yet, she doesn’t seem to understand the psychology behind how she treats Hayeong. The interviews with the serial killer are just...well, disappointing. Nothing seems to happen there. All in all, I would have to say that this was a very disappointing book. Two stars.
In THE ONLY CHILD, Seo is unafraid to explore the criminal psychology's world, filled with serial killer and abusive childhoods. This book has a dark storyline involving disturbing passages that made me discomfort and I wouldn't advise reading it before bedtime. It focuses on the psychological analysis of people with mental disorder, giving a detailed sight into the killer's (Yi Byeongdo) mind - I was particularly thrilled by the interaction between Seonkyong and the killer, which the interview scenes conducted at the detention center gave me chills. Also I mostly enjoyed Seonkyong as a strong female character - she was flawed and her new experience of parenting was realistic. Having said that, I had issues with Jaeseong once I found him being very negligent and I couldn't accept his attitudes. I was absorbed while reading about Hayeong's strange behavior, as I wanted to find out about her childhood and the way many factors and environment influenced her character.
I thought that the latter part of the book wrapped up too quickly and I wasn't expecting the ending. To my relief, a moment after I knew that there is a sequel coming out.
I couldn't put THE ONLY CHILD down and this book is great for readers who enjoy mystery thrillers regarding criminal profile and traumatic childhood.