Seven Years of Darkness: A Novel

Product Description

“You-Jeong Jeong is a certified international phenomenon . . . Genuinely surprising and ultimately satisfying . . . Seven Years of Darkness [bolsters] the case for Jeong as one among the best at writing psychological suspense.” —Los Angeles Times

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF SUMMER 2020 BY CRIMEREADS, BUSTLE, and AARP.org

The truth always rises to the surface…

When a young girl is found dead in Seryong Lake, a reservoir in a remote South Korean village, the police immediately begin their investigation. At the same time, three men–Yongje, the girl’s father, and two security guards at the nearby dam, each of whom has something to hide about the night of her death–find themselves in an elaborate game of cat and mouse as they race to uncover what happened to her, without revealing their own closely guarded secrets.

After a final showdown at the dam results in a mass tragedy, one of the guards is convicted of murder and sent to prison. For seven years, his son, Sowon, lives in the shadow of his father’s shocking and inexplicable crime; everywhere he goes, a seemingly concerted effort to reveal his identity as the reviled mass murderer’s son follows him. When he receives a package that promises to reveal at last what really happened at Seryong Lake, Sowon must confront a present danger he never knew existed.

Dark, disturbing, and full of twists and turns,
Seven Years of Darkness is the riveting new novel from the internationally celebrated author of
The Good Son.

Review

Praise for Seven Years of Darkness:

“
Seven Years of Darkness promises to be just as gripping and intense [as
The Good Son], and should prove once again that South Korea is the new capital of psycho-noir.” 
—CrimeReads

“
Seven Years in Darkness is wonderfully atmospheric; the description of a night dive through an underwater village is a tour de force. The handling of the core themes of domestic violence, alcoholism and broken dreams, meanwhile, is both sensitive and hard-hitting.” 
—The Guardian

“Riveting . . . the atmospheric plot unfolds in unexpected directions . . . This twisty tale reinforces Jeong’s place as the queen of South Korean thrillers.” 
—Publishers Weekly 

“A dark exploration of human connections, this beautifully written redemption story holds strong appeal for fans of Yrsa Sigurardóttir’s haunting, atmospheric thrillers.” 
—Booklist (starred)

“Spellbind[ing] . . . a hold-your-breath psychological thriller guaranteed to keep you guessing.” 
—AARP

“You-Jeong Jeong’s masterfully plotted 
Seven Years of Darkness presents two excellent narratives deftly woven together: a thriller inside a thriller. [Jeong] uses this nesting-doll structure to meditate on the long shadow of trauma and the elusive nature of truth, but it also serves as a clever method for heightening suspense. Jeong makes it obvious that at least one part of the story ends in tragedy, but unfolding why and how it happens reveals a multitude of shocking surprises.” 
—Shelf Awareness

“Eerie interludes . . . add a sense of dreamlike beauty. Each character’s motivations are examined . . . the details of which are rendered even more potent by the author’s frank descriptions. Missing and dead girls are a prolific staple of crime fiction, but Jeong’s portrait of Seryong, a young girl unforgivably betrayed by the very people whose job it was to keep her safe, saves her from being just one of many. Readers will think they know what actually happened to Seryong long before Sowon does, but they should be prepared for a few final twists. A moody and multifaceted psychological thriller.” 
—Kirkus Reviews 

“Fascinating . . . Jeong’s complex narrative [builds to] a surprising conclusion. Amazing.” 
—Die Zeit
“[
Seven Years of Darkness has] an intricate plot with a final twist that is quite gratifying.” 
—Korean Literature Now

Praise for You-Jeong Jeong and The Good Son:

“At long last, South Korea’s preeminent author of psychological thrillers has arriv