The Eyes Are the Best Part

‘I pluck one eye after the other, shoving them greedily into my mouth. I mash them into a pulp, teeth gnashing, feeling each clump slide down my throat. I eat until my stomach is full and aching …’ The Eyes are the Best Part is an impressive debut by Monika Kim, an intense and gripping novel that explores complex themes through the compelling and unsettling narrative of Ji‑won’s unravelling.

After Ji‑won’s father leaves the family, her devastated mother explains over dinner the Korean tradition of gaining good luck by eating the eyes of the fish. Ji‑won, both attracted and repelled by this ritual, becomes obsessed – with the blue eyes of the white men around her. But her mother is busy feeling lucky in love with George, a repulsive man who fetishises Asian women and objectifies Ji‑won and her sister. Ji‑won begins to unravel, failing her college classes and haunted by horrifying dreams filled with rooms of vivid blue eyes – the same shade as those of George, and of her over-eager classmate Geoffrey.

Despite her unravelling psyche, I found myself cheering for Ji‑won. The more she indulges in her darkest impulses, the stronger she becomes. This book, though short, is packed with themes of misogyny, racism, toxic relationships and performative allyship.

Kim has crafted a strong narrative voice, filled with oppressive dread and expertly constructed tension. The perfectly executed pacing ensnares readers, making the palpable anxiety evolve into repulsion, daring them, unsuccessfully, to turn their eyes away. I highly recommend it for those who love stories of unhinged women on revenge missions and expect to see this on BookTok favourite weird recommendation lists for years to come. Perhaps best enjoyed with a lunch suggested by Ji‑won: a bowl of hard-boiled eggs and cherry tomatoes.