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dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, Stalking, Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Stalking, Sexual harassment
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ji-won's life seems to be falling apart. Her father abandons her family for a new woman, and her mother is lost and depressed after being rejected. Ji-won starts unravelling at the seams, and the book descends into a nightmare filled with body-horror. While I didn't quite find Ji-won a "lovable" character, I enjoyed following her POV. She is flawed, insecure, manipulative, and a loner. I believe that always makes for a thrilling story. The author is masterful in detailing the most grotesque parts of the book, and I struggled to get through certain paragraphs (in the most positive way). I also want to applaud the author for writing two of the most insufferable and spine-chilling white men. When Ji-won finally loses it, I was on the edge of my seat and at times, rooting for her. The ending seems to leave the story open for another installment and I will say that I was pretty satisfied with it as well.
THIS PART OF THE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS:
There were so many quotes I highlighted because these characters are sooo hard to like. Ji-won, again, is an insecure, manipulative loner. We really get a sense of how manipulative she can be when she recounted how her and her high school friends fell out before they left for college. While this scenario was wrong, I was kind of on board when she started messing with George. Before we get to George, we have to talk about the lady who brought this man into her daughters' lives: Ji-won and Ji-hyun's mom referred to as 'Umma'. Now this lady was a piece of work. Understandably, she is heart-broken and depressed by her husband leaving her, but she put all of the emotional work onto her daughters (more Ji-won than anything). Then starts dating the worst man known, George. So in my eyes, that makes her a villain.
George is the stereotypical white man with a fetish for Asian women. He was in the military, was stationed in an Asian country and fell in love with the culture, and of course, fell in love with the myth that Asian women are submissive, docile, and will do anything. Everything that happens to him is deserved and to be honest, I feel like Ji-won didn't go hard enough. Dishonorable mention to the other insufferable white man in the story: Geoffrey. Funny how their names are similar. Anyways, Geoffrey fulfills the stereotype of the 'fake woke'/ 'nice guy'/ 'feminist' dude who uses academic jargon and buzz words to seem smart, but in reality uses it as a way to get closer to women so that he can demand them to give him their time, energy, and validation. Oh and let's not forget his dislike for Alexis, the only other friend Ji-won makes who happens to be Black. Like...you not fooling anyone Geoffrey.
At first, I thought that Ji-won was killing white men with blue eyes because they were surrogates for George. Now, after finishing the book, I believe that all these blue-eyed white men, George included, were surrogates for her hatred at her father's desire to assimilate to white culture. Or really her hatred for white culture itself. He wanted a business, a white picket fence, pretty much ascribing to the American Dream. He leaves his family for a white woman ("...rice milk skin...) and immediately starts a family with her, ignoring his other children. Given that Ji-won sets her sights on going after her father after killing George and implicating Geoffrey for the murders, it seems like the latter.
THIS PART OF THE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS:
George is the stereotypical white man with a fetish for Asian women. He was in the military, was stationed in an Asian country and fell in love with the culture, and of course, fell in love with the myth that Asian women are submissive, docile, and will do anything. Everything that happens to him is deserved and to be honest, I feel like Ji-won didn't go hard enough. Dishonorable mention to the other insufferable white man in the story: Geoffrey. Funny how their names are similar. Anyways, Geoffrey fulfills the stereotype of the 'fake woke'/ 'nice guy'/ 'feminist' dude who uses academic jargon and buzz words to seem smart, but in reality uses it as a way to get closer to women so that he can demand them to give him their time, energy, and validation. Oh and let's not forget his dislike for Alexis, the only other friend Ji-won makes who happens to be Black. Like...you not fooling anyone Geoffrey.
At first, I thought that Ji-won was killing white men with blue eyes because they were surrogates for George. Now, after finishing the book, I believe that all these blue-eyed white men, George included, were surrogates for her hatred at her father's desire to assimilate to white culture. Or really her hatred for white culture itself. He wanted a business, a white picket fence, pretty much ascribing to the American Dream. He leaves his family for a white woman ("...rice milk skin...) and immediately starts a family with her, ignoring his other children. Given that Ji-won sets her sights on going after her father after killing George and implicating Geoffrey for the murders, it seems like the latter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i donāt usually enjoy media/stories about cannibalism but this one was right up my alley. i think this is due to the significance of it regarding asian culture and the symbolism of eyes especially blue eyes in the story. unfortunately, iāve had encounters with men like george, as a half-asian woman with an asian mother & white father. south-east asian but yes, my mum eats fish eyes and i share many similarities/thoughts/feelings with the ji-won despite not being korean. i feel this story applies to all asian cultures and all asian women who feel they are looked at in a certain way, whether by Caucasian men or men in general (e.g. submissive, docile, quiet etc.) i and many asian women are not like that at all. i felt myself getting agitated while reading as i saw so many similarities between george & my own father and the way they interacted with the world and asian women. i loved the ending and the themes of sisterhood & becoming the protector because the so-called āprotectorsā were actually the ones harming us all along, it was super satisfying and i live vicariously through this story as i would never be able to recreate any of the events (especially regarding eyes!) im too squeamish for that. this is definitely a āgood for herā and āi support womenās rights and wrongsā type of story & i really enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism
Minor: Pedophilia
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment
dark
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The build up in the book was great , as was the insight into the main characters psyche. The commentary in the book regarding the view of Asian women was definitely the stand out. I can only say I wanted more with the horror elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
šļøThe Eyes Are The Best Partšļø
Ji-wonās life begins to unravel after her Appaās extramarital affair and departure. Her younger sister is hurt, her mother is a shell of herself. Ji-won is left behind by her friends and starts failing her classes. This is all made worse by the appearance of her mumās new boyfriend George. A middle aged white man with an Asian fetish, who quickly overstays his welcome. His attitude and lingering looks make Ji-won and her sister uncomfortable and disgusted. Along with him, come the nightmares. Nightmares of blue eyes. The same shade as Georgeās. Bloody, and salivatingly enticing.
This book was CREEPY. And I really enjoyed it (as much as you can with a creepy book). It is a psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer - a second generation Korean woman in America seeking revenge. Itās really not a very long book, but itās packed full! It discussed family and family dynamics, culture and cultural identity in a new country. It focuses on mental health, to the point where youāre not actually sure what is real or what is just the main character hallucinating or dreaming. This makes it so much more powerful and immersive an experience. It is graphic and gory and gross, which I donāt mind, however, I would recommend checking out trigger warnings. Some of the passages and descriptions made me feel a little queasy too! Despite the fact that what the main character is doing is clearly wrong, you kind of end up liking her, even if sheās not necessarily likeable. Likeā¦.good for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder