A review by crin_d1nk
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ji-won's life is falling apart during her first year at college. Her father unexpectedly abandons her family, her friends have all moved away while she lives at home attending community college, and her mom is barely keeping it all together. One night Ji-won agrees to eat a fish eyeball to try to make her mom happy. Little does she know that this one decision will begin an obession that will change her life forever. 

Monika Kim does an amazing job creating unsettling scenes that has the reader squirming in their seats. I was pleasantly surprised by the deeper commentary Monika Kim threaded throughout the book about asian fetishization, misogyny, and generational trauma. Her ability to write male characters who give you the ick before their true nature is revealed was very impressive. I found the characters and their choices frustrating at times because I wanted them to make better choices. However, that frustration really added to the tense feelings that built up throughout the book. My only complaint was that there was an element in the ending that didn't fully make sense to me as it pertained the to the story. 
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