Scan barcode
A review by the_horror_maven
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
QUICK TAKE
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim is an ingenious take on the making of a female serial killer through a Korean-American perspective. The body horror, eye horror, and cannibalism are nauseating, but the unhinged thoughts and female rage are what truly haunted me. If you can stomach it, this is a must-read for fans of female rage horror. It is sure to become as iconic as Maeve Fly by CJ Leede and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
TELL ME MORE
Female rage horror is a favorite of mine, and going into this book I was intrigued by the Korean-American perspective. Objectification of Asian women is a big focus of the novel, and I was so happy to see the main character, Ji-won, and her sister, Ji-hyun fight back against it. The book follows Ji-won after her father leaves her mother and their family and addresses the anger and grief that both Ji-won and her sister experience. Ji-won begins to slowly unravel, but things truly escalate when her mother starts dating a white man named George. George’s sense of superiority and objectification of Asian women is wild and disgusting. Through the ordeal, Ji-won’s hatred of him and her father begins to spread to other men as well.
Grief, loneliness, and the feeling of being responsible for a parent’s emotions and wellbeing are main aspects of the story, making it was unexpectedly heartbreaking. While Ji-won’s actions and thoughts were unhinged, I did relate to her with her feelings of jealousy over her high school friends who all got into the same college without her. While her actions against them were inappropriate, they were surprisingly cathartic. Her loneliness caused her to become possessive over a new friend at her college, and it highlighted how difficult adult friendships can be.
While there were some repetitions in phrases and the constant mentioning of the color blue which felt a bit overdone, the overall arc of Ji-won’s character development was terrifying. Her obsession with eyes and the descriptions of the process of eating them was shocking, but they revealed just how unhinged Ji-won was. The imagery was fantastic, and I felt nauseated throughout, but I couldn’t put the book down.
The book is fairly fast-paced, and the ending completely shocked me, which is hard to do. I ate it up, and I’m still thinking about it and trying to dissect and make sense of some of what happened. However, it did feel like the ending was a bit hurried, and I wish that it had been drawn out a little longer.
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim is a horror novel unlike anything I have ever read. It features Korean-American issues, family drama, and deep body horror all with a serial killer twist. While it wasn’t perfect, it is a must read for fans of the genre. I am excited to see what this author does next!
Trigger Warnings: violence, body horror, eye horror, murder, cannibalism, descriptions of war trauma (non-graphic, starvation), stalking, sexism, and racism (Asian objectification).
*Thank you to Kensington Books, Erewhon Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim is an ingenious take on the making of a female serial killer through a Korean-American perspective. The body horror, eye horror, and cannibalism are nauseating, but the unhinged thoughts and female rage are what truly haunted me. If you can stomach it, this is a must-read for fans of female rage horror. It is sure to become as iconic as Maeve Fly by CJ Leede and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
TELL ME MORE
Female rage horror is a favorite of mine, and going into this book I was intrigued by the Korean-American perspective. Objectification of Asian women is a big focus of the novel, and I was so happy to see the main character, Ji-won, and her sister, Ji-hyun fight back against it. The book follows Ji-won after her father leaves her mother and their family and addresses the anger and grief that both Ji-won and her sister experience. Ji-won begins to slowly unravel, but things truly escalate when her mother starts dating a white man named George. George’s sense of superiority and objectification of Asian women is wild and disgusting. Through the ordeal, Ji-won’s hatred of him and her father begins to spread to other men as well.
Grief, loneliness, and the feeling of being responsible for a parent’s emotions and wellbeing are main aspects of the story, making it was unexpectedly heartbreaking. While Ji-won’s actions and thoughts were unhinged, I did relate to her with her feelings of jealousy over her high school friends who all got into the same college without her. While her actions against them were inappropriate, they were surprisingly cathartic. Her loneliness caused her to become possessive over a new friend at her college, and it highlighted how difficult adult friendships can be.
While there were some repetitions in phrases and the constant mentioning of the color blue which felt a bit overdone, the overall arc of Ji-won’s character development was terrifying. Her obsession with eyes and the descriptions of the process of eating them was shocking, but they revealed just how unhinged Ji-won was. The imagery was fantastic, and I felt nauseated throughout, but I couldn’t put the book down.
The book is fairly fast-paced, and the ending completely shocked me, which is hard to do. I ate it up, and I’m still thinking about it and trying to dissect and make sense of some of what happened. However, it did feel like the ending was a bit hurried, and I wish that it had been drawn out a little longer.
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim is a horror novel unlike anything I have ever read. It features Korean-American issues, family drama, and deep body horror all with a serial killer twist. While it wasn’t perfect, it is a must read for fans of the genre. I am excited to see what this author does next!
Trigger Warnings: violence, body horror, eye horror, murder, cannibalism, descriptions of war trauma (non-graphic, starvation), stalking, sexism, and racism (Asian objectification).
*Thank you to Kensington Books, Erewhon Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.