YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

An eerie and absorbing novel following a criminal psychologist who has discovered shocking and possibly dangerous connections between a serial killer and her stepdaughter

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.

I've got my copy and will start this evening.

I like the opening thus far. Very atmospheric and eerie.

ellen wrote: "I like the opening thus far. Very atmospheric and eerie."
Yes, I agree on that. There's a lot of eerieness at the beginning.

I've finished part one of the book and so far it's a lot like 'Silence of the Lambs', but the Korean version of it. I don't know what you feel about it, Ellen, but it seems to go very slow.

(view spoiler)[Byeongdo is a serial killer, but it seems that the trigger could've been the abuse of his mother. She was such an awful person. I think she was the base of what was to come. There's much that there isn't known about the history of Jaesong and his daughter Hayeoung. What really happened and what is Jaesong hidding? Haeyeoung seemed to be abused by her mother, but Jaesong isn't really emotional involved in his daugther. Everything lands upon Seonkyoung's shoulders and she has to take it. The little girl is a handfull and I get a dark feeling about her. (hide spoiler)]

Saar The Book owl wrote: "I've finished part one of the book and so far it's a lot like 'Silence of the Lambs', but the Korean version of it. I don't know what you feel about it, Ellen, but it seems to go very slow.

[spoil..."

OMG. SOOOOOO SLOW. I hope this will be a slow-burn build and hit us with some unexpected turns. I am about 95% done with part 1. Hopefully, finish part 1 tomorrow to discuss further.

ellen wrote: "Saar The Book owl wrote: "I've finished part one of the book and so far it's a lot like 'Silence of the Lambs', but the Korean version of it. I don't know what you feel about it, Ellen, but it seem..."

Sorry, I have to dissapoint you...I had the same feeling. The story goes so slow, unbelievable.

Part 2:
(view spoiler)[Well, someone is a psychopate to be. I couldn't almost read the part with the cat! I mean, there are so many signs that there's something massively wrong with Haeyeoung, but it gets ignored. And what about Jaesong? He's absent most of the time, letting Seonkyoung taking care of his child. (hide spoiler)]

I've finished, but it wasn't what I expected at all, and not in the positive sense.

Part 3+4:
(view spoiler)[Seonkyoung supposed to be a 'great' criminal psychologist, but you don't notice that. I mean, she works with serial killers, but she keeps her hand above Haeyeoung, like when the teacher talked about the cat and all she could say was that she didn't harm her classmates...I mean, there were red flags everywhere and she gives the girl a puppy! Further in the story the girl says bad puppies need to pay and then there wasn't any mention of a puppy anymore. There were few chapters about Haeyeoung, but I didn't get any wiser. Also, Jaesoung was the one that killed his ex - wife! Not directly, but how can you give your daughter a bottle of poison to protect herself and not asking it back? That was an accident (or murder or 3) waiting to happen. The story of Byeongdo wasn't that interesting at all. It was more flat. Than he escaped. I mean, that was to easy. I don't think you can have an amount of blood like the author described. Okay, a head injury gives a lot of blood, but not enough to cover a neck injury. The ending, well, there was some tension, but not enough...I thought the police would come marching in or Jaesong would come in in time, but it was an open ending, where Seonkeyoung was worrying, why she was dying, about the girl's future. There were so many signs that she could've take the girl to a mental hospital or somewhere to get decent help. (hide spoiler)]

Ending thoughts:
(view spoiler)[The back of the book told that Seonkeyoung told Beyongdo about Haeyeoung and that he gave the woman advice. Well, that wasn't true at all. I've found the back of the book misleading and it was told to be a best seller, but at some points it was just a spin off of Silence of the Lambs or better series. It was a very interesting idea to compare the life of a serial killer with a young girl, to maybe become one. There were some connections, like the abuse, animal abuse...but overal it was a flat, colorless story. It could've been so much better. (hide spoiler)]

Well. I tried to push through this, but it just wasn't happening. I DNF'd after part 2. It was too slow for me, and I couldn't bear the pace. Youse a champ for continuing.

No problem. I understand it and I had the same feeling about the book. It totally missed its goal.