Mi-ae Seo | THE ONLY CHILD

Plot (via Goodreads):

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. 

Review:

The Only Child is a sensational thriller that combines Baby Teeth with The Silence of the Lambs in an exceptional story that I found twisty and psychologically devious. Now, with this one I found the actual plot to be great and I loved the slower pacing, but something felt a little off like some other scenes were too long or drawn out. This could just be the translation, so I didn't necessarily dislike it but I think it could have had some things taken out.

The characters with this one were interesting and at the same time a little cliche as I thought that for what their occupations were and for who they played in the story that at times they didn't make necessarily realistic decisions. Nevertheless, the plot kept me intrigued the entire time and I felt that the pacing began to pick up as the novel progressed. Now, with this one I felt that I looked forward to the dialog and just my natural curiosity as to where this one would go. It was a quick read that had some really sinister and creepy moments that I enjoyed and I did find myself asking a lot of questions and wondering about a lot of things during parts 1-3.

Now, Part IV is where the shit hit the fan for me. So much was packed into this one part that it easily brought it from an okay 3-star read to a 4-star for me. There were so many things I wasn't anticipated, one hell of a brutal finale and so many answers to my questions from parts 1-3. Then, I got even more answers, some more twists I didn't see coming and then a final line that scared the hell out of me. So overall, I really enjoyed this book and maybe there were some issues with the translation and the characters, but Part IV really solidified my love for this story and I can honestly say, I would love to read this one again sometime.

Special thanks to Ecco Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5