Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lon3rston3r 's review for:
The Eyes Are the Best Part
by Monika Kim
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