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

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

5.0

 
Monika Kim’s debut novel consists of an unravelling story of female rage, racism and the loss of sanity; all while adapting to new changes in family and education. The Eyes Are the Best Part follows Ji-Won – the older sister – navigating and adjusting to the collapse of her mother’s marriage and the emptiness her father has left. 

While her mother and sister try not to spiral from the abandonment, Ji-Won starts college. However, it isn’t her dream college where all her friends have gone to and this results in jealousy, manipulation and the loss of said friends. Due to this, Ji-Won struggles with her first semester, which isn’t helped with the worry of her mother and her sister. 

This is all bad enough, so luckily Ji-Won befriends Alexis and Geoffery. However, there’s more to Geoffrey then it seems. But there’s also more to Ji-Won so wouldn’t this be the perfect pairing? 

Ji-Wons’ mother now has a new boyfriend – George – who is a misogynistic and racist middle-aged white man. His fetishism of Asian women seeps through as predatory behaviour as the story develops. The only good thing about George are his mesmerising blue eyes. 

This issue is just the tip of the iceberg Ji-Won needed in order to spiral into a state of insanity. When her dreams turn into nightmares and hallucinations, Ji-Won decides to act on them. But has she gone too far? 

Monika Kims’ writing is somewhat of a masterpiece to me. Although I thought the spiral into madness started off a bit too slow, it almost made sense as it was the story itself followed the slow turn into madness that Ji-Won goes through in the novel. I do feel like the ending was somehow rushed as the readers to have a lot of information thrown at them all at once; but again this could be interpreted as the speed of how someones’ mind gathers information. 

I loved this book which is why I gave it 5 stars. It was such a rollercoaster of emotions that once it started picking up after the first couple of chapters, I couldn’t put it down. While the ending does make you question some things, this also gives the opportunity of a follow up book if Monika Kim decided to do one, but it also is a perfect stand alone book if you love slow release horror. 

I know it’s not even out yet, but I’m excited to see what Kim comes up with next. 

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