[K-LIT REVIEW] 'Bonobo' asks who is the noble beast?
"Bonobo," Jeong Yoo-jeong's latest book to be translated to English, does not pull punches. Whether physical or emotional, battles are fought with animal intensity and have lasting impact. The most devastation punch of all, however, is how often we do nothing for someone in need. “I pretended I hadn’t heard,” and “Go ask someone else,” aren’t just quotes from the novel — they are the chorus of an unsympathetic world. Can the three main characters teach us how to help? The book presents a well-worn sci-fi plot point: a transfer of conciousness from one body to another. A car crash throws the psyche of primatologist Jini into the mind of a bonobo. As she struggles to find her way back to her own body, Jini also experiences the primate's memories of captivity and trafficking, forcing her to reconsider the relationship between humans and animals. As the book teaches us about bonobos through Jini, we also learn about her own self-doubt and skepticism regarding human nature. Who is a "noble beast, and who is a terrible animal? A moment of birth is a shared joy for a bonobo famil
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