Bonobo

You-jeong Jeong braids three lives—a primatologist, a deadbeat, and a trafficked bonobo—in this speculative meditation on communication, control, and what humans owe the animal world.

Primatologist Jini has tried to forget her betrayal: when she found a baby bonobo headed for the abuses of the black market, she failed to set it free. But a late-night car accident reunites them years later, embedding Jini's consciousness in the terrified animal and leaving her human body hovering between life and death.

As she and deadbeat protector-for-hire Minjoo search for her body, Jini drifts through the bonobo’s memories of joy, degradation, and panic. For the first time, she’ll have to rethink her power over other creatures—and her powerlessness against the forces of nature.