Korean novelist Jeong You-jeong, long known as a writer of psychological thrillers, is now introducing English-language readers to a different side of her work. Her 2019 novel "Bonobo," translated by Brother Anthony and published in Britain by Honford Star this month, is her first non-thriller to reach that audience. The book's themes of solidarity and the value of a life lived fully are central to how she describes it.
From Thrillers to a Story of Animal Consciousness
Jeong's reputation rests on books such as "Seven Years of Darkness" (2011), "28" (2013) and "The Good Son" (2016), which together form what Korean readers call her "trilogy of evil." "Bonobo" departs from that pattern. A primatologist, Jini, is pulled into the consciousness of a frightened bonobo named Jinny after a car crash leaves her own body hospitalized. With the help of Minjoo, a young drifter, she tries to reclaim her body, and the plot turns on the animal's memories of community and the cruelty of animal trafficking.
Why the Bonobo Was Chosen
Jeong said the choice of species was deliberate. Preparing for the novel, she visited primate research facilities in Japan, including the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University, and observed chimpanzees and bonobos up close. She described the contrast between the two species, noting that chimpanzee society is male-centered while bonobo society is female-centered and known for empathy and solidarity. A story told to her by ecologist Choe Jae-chun, about how bonobos share fruit rather than competing for it, shaped her decision to build the novel around one.
A Woman at the Center
"Bonobo" is also the first of Jeong's novels to place a woman fully at its center. She said she had long avoided female protagonists, fearing her own personality would overwhelm them, but that this story required one. Her account of the translation process is similarly restrained: she said she seldom comments on how her work is rendered into other languages and left Brother Anthony to make his own choices, intervening only when he asked questions.
Upcoming Appearance and Broader Message
Jeong is scheduled to discuss the book in person at a talk at the dbBOOKS warehouse in Seoul on Nov. 7, moderated by translator Sean Lin Halbert and conducted in Korean with English interpretation. Her stated aim for the novel is to prompt readers to reconsider how they approach life, and she urged younger readers to love and live without holding back.