The title and cover are somewhat false advertising. Yes, there is some eye-eating and murdering but they're largely relegated to the last 25% of the book. I don't mind a good slow-burn but the first 75% is a slightly above-average family drama with such cartoonish villains that it was almost parodic. It's hard to care about comeuppance when they're so broadly drawn as to not even seem to like real people. An over-reliance on dream sequences also distracts from the flow. It's a quick and sometimes enjoyable read but can't really recommend it. 2.5 rounded down to 2. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Slow building dread.

This novel starts out innocently. A mother, two daughters, a father who has recently abandoned the family. The mother can't move on. The eldest daughter Ji-Won starts exhibiting self destructive behavior. It seems every man she meets is some sort of disappointment. Her mother's new boyfriend is a creep - but his eyes - Ji-Won can't stop thinking about them.

The Eyes Are the Best part was fantastic. It made me anxious and angry, it made me squirm, Just when you think things have come to their natural conclusion... you're really thrown for a loop.

I'm not sure the eyes are the best part. Probably the worst. So squishy and slimy. I wanted to be horrified by this but I was just a bit bored and disappointed.

This really hit the spot! The pacing is on point with the narration punctuated just the right amount with scenes of the protagonist's psychosis and violence as both gradually escalate. There are certainly moments of recoil-worthy body horror, but they don't overwhelm the rest of the text. Much of the story is really a character study.

It's also a thematically strong piece, digging into the intersections of racism and misogyny, particularly the fetishization of Asian women. It does a really nice job of illustrating microaggressions - prime show don't tell.

It's a really exciting debut and Kim is an author to watch closely.

Following the sudden departure of her father, college student Ji-won struggles to keep her mother afloat as she sinks into a depression. But when her mother starts dating George, a white man who is frankly the absolute worst, Ji-won begins a descent into madness in a spiral to seek revenge on the man who is plaguing her family. This slow burn, psychological horror reckons with racism and misogyny for young women of color and an extreme response to real evils. I really can’t believe this is a debut work. It’s sharp and smart with such complicated themes handled in such a precise way. This is a narrative that leads to horror, but I wouldn’t classify it as a horror novel. Sure it’s gross, there’s some gore aspects in this, but it’s really a novel about a woman dealing with men that target her and her family’s “otherness” as an Asian family of women and use that as a fetishization and lashing out against that in a particularly violent way. I keep thinking a lot about this novel, and I absolutely recommend it!

Ji-won’s life is turned upside down when her father has an affair and leaves them all behind. Her mother and sister are distraught and Ji-won begins having horrifying, yet delicious dreams about… eating eyeballs. Yes, you read that correctly.

This book starts out slowly, as more of a family drama, with the dissolution of Ji-won’s parents’ marriage. Ji-won and her family are Korean, and her mother begins dating a white man soon after the divorce. This man, George, sets off something inside Ji-won, who has suffered from racism as an Asian-American woman and thinks George’s comments about her and about Asian women in general are hurtful and gross.

Then the book morphs from family drama to slow, suspenseful psychological horror. Ji-won’s nightmares often have real life consequences and her obsession with eyeballs (especially blue ones!) becomes more and more macabre.

I couldn’t put this one down. I appreciated the slow burn of the writing as the author built up the suspense. Ji-won starts out as a sympathetic character and slowly turns to… something else. This isn’t a roller coaster ride, in your face, jump scare kind of horror book. But it is scary nonetheless. If you’ve ever wanted a female revenge story with a gory twist, this is definitely the book for you.

NOTE: Content warning for graphic body horror and cannibalism.

The Eyes Are The Best Part
Monika Kim
4⭐️

Pub Date: 6/25/2024

Reading this book is like watching a Korean-American drama... but a disgusting and severely degenerate one! It starts off already interesting but it initially dove more into the family drama aspect. Seemed very mundane and focused on the day to day life of the characters. But the author drops interesting bits and details that kept me hooked. The person doing the "deed" seemed so inconspicuous. I wouldn't have guessed that person to be unhinged. Warning that this book is gory and disgusting. The descriptions about texture, sound and just overall, the events were all unsettling. Definitely made me queasy.

Plot isn't insane but it's agitating hidden in the normal. But it achieved what it wanted to do. I was very disturbed. I couldn't stop reading. Basically devoured this story (no pun intended).

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a wild ride! Reading the description alone doesn't make it any justice and the story, even though is more like a slow burn, definitely caught me off guard many times. At times it felt a bit intense for me to continue and I had to take breaks because it can get pretty gory and descriptive, but it was excellently written and I powered through. In the end, the racism, bigotry and misogyny were the true horrors. Definitely recommend this one!

wow, what an incredible debut! the writing was exceptional; i felt it was similar to sayaka murata’s and i’m a fan! there was more depth to this than i anticipated and it’s something i crave in stories. ji-won’s character, although very unhinged and unsettling, grew on me throughout the story. monika kim writes racism, cultural fetishization, bigotry, and misogyny into the story in a way that we all see it but hardly speak about it. although gruesome at times, i think the true horror in this was george. it’s a very slow story but the pacing felt right. love a full circle moment and this book is exactly that. 4.5/5 stars

I so wanted to love this creepy book, considering how bonkers the cover is, but I just can't get on board with a surreal horror novel when so much happens in dreams. There were unfortunate plot holes, twists that didn't make sense, and lots of frustrating story beats. I needed some better character development and stronger writing, unfortunately. As much as I want to recommend this unique take on a serial killer story for October, this just isn't the one.

Because who doesn’t love a delicious story about the delicacy of eating eyeballs? Not really a ‘horror’ feel to the story but definitely one that would suit perfectly well alongside The Eyes of My Mother in story. As a first time read from the author, I will enjoy awaiting her next release.

Best horror book of the year! This is binge-able with all the repulsion and feels. Highly recommend.

This was a very unique read and the ending was perfect. The cover is beautiful. I will be recommending and look forward to future works from the author.

What a delightfully disturbing read! I found the plot a bit shaky at first but there's a twist near the end that ties everything together nicely; I give it an extra star for that. The plot felt a bit shaky before that twist.
I also appreciate the ending, most things are resolve and yet the ending is still open, giving the reader something to ponder.

Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It feels maybe a little wild to say this was fun—because it was, though there are plenty of repulsive parts, especially concerning how white men treat Asian women—but I had a lot of fun reading this. Ji-won’s descent into unhinged behavior felt almost like a natural progression and I thought the pacing was breakneck but made a lot of sense and served the story well.

I thought the horror aspects of this were unsettling and compelling, and while this absolutely requires some suspension of disbelief, I liked the blend of horror (eating human eyes) with the horrors of being the eldest daughter and a Korean American woman in the US. The men were terrible, yes, but also felt realistic in the worst way possible. There were some parts that felt a little predictable, and other parts that really caught me off guard (that ending, wow!), but ultimately this was a captivating horror novel I struggled to put down with a very satisfying ending. I’ll definitely keep an eye on what else Kim has to write!

The Eyes Are the Best Part is not a thriller but rather a horror novel with gruesome details as the main character, a sympathetic young Korean woman, Ji-won acts out her darkest fantasies. The novel is well written but uncomfortable to read. This is not for readers that want to root for a heroine with a resolved ending but rather for those that enjoy diving in to the unspoken underbelly of humanity.

Ji-won’s life is in turmoil. Her father has left them, her mother is inconsolable and her sister is a ball of anxiety. When her mother offers fish eyes for dinner as a way to turn their misfortunes with good luck, it awakens something inside of Ji-won that fixates on the gelatinous, clear blue eyes. Can Ji-won put their life back in order and fight her inner demons?

I was so excited to read an arc of this book! I truly enjoyed this and it had everything I love in a horror. The dream sequences really tripped me out and this definitely got me in the spooky mood.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a little backlogged on my ARC’s but working diligently to get caught up. I really liked the unique style of this book! I can honestly say it felt different than most things I’ve read and the story kept me intrigued throughout. Some parts were quite disturbing if you’re squeamish, but I don’t have any triggers so I enjoyed it. I would recommend to anyone who likes complicated family oriented horror stories!

As a horror lover, this book was delicious! I found the body horror, the sense of dread, and just the overall vibe of this book immaculate. I will admit that it took me a little long to get into, which is why I didn't give it a full five stars, but I think for being a debut, this was absolutely wonderful. I would be so happy to read more from this author!

The Eyes are the Best Part is a dark and disturbing page turner. The story was brutal and the characters richly developed. The story flows through the narrator Ji-Won dealing with dysfunctional family issues, misogyny and cultural stereotypes while descending into psychopathy. I enjoyed a fresh take on this type of tale and found this story compelling

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC!