The Eyes Are the Best Part
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING 'GOOD FOR HER' K-THRILLER
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
'I was enticed from the first line' OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE, author of My Sister, the Serial Killer
This feminist howl-of-a-debut is going to crawl right under your skin
'An outstanding debut' NEW YORK TIMES
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS
NEW YORK TIMES BEST HORROR BOOK OF THE YEAR
SPOTIFY 'BREAKOUT' AUTHOR OF THE YEAR
Ji-won's life is in disarray. Her father's affair has ripped the family to shreds, leaving her to piece their crappy lives back together.
Then her mother's new white boyfriend enters the scene, bragging about his knowledge of Korean culture. As he swaggers around their claustrophobic apartment ogling her teenage sister, Ji-won's grip on reality begins to slip.
She finds herself growing obsessed with his brilliant blue eyeballs, resolving to do the one thing that will save her family - and curb her cravings...
'Smartly written... A writer to watch' BIG ISSUE
'Darkly funny' FERN BRADY, author of Strong Female Character
'Monika Kim has written a novel every library needs to own' LIBRARY JOURNAL
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Kim's provocative debut horror novel, Ji-won, a Korean American college student, wrestles with her psychological turmoil and the gruesome appetites it arouses. The title comes from a comment Ji-won's mother makes that eating the eye of a fish is supposed to bring good luck. When Ji-won overcomes her revulsion and finally eats one, she develops an obsessive interest in the eyes of others—especially the blue eyes of George, her mother's boorish new white boyfriend whom she and her younger sister loathe. Ji-won's disturbed state of mind is understandable, given that she's also grappling with her father's abandonment of the family and with unwanted romantic advances from a college classmate—providing all the catalysts needed to transform her eye obsession into a grisly hunger. Kim's antagonistic male characters all hail from jerk central casting and are easy targets for reader dislike. By contrast, her depiction of Ji-won's fond but exasperated relationship with her mother and her sister, Ji-hyun, conveys authentic familial intimacy. Though the finale relies on some credibility-stretching contrivances, Kim's talent buoys her tale through its rough spots and distinguishes her as a writer to watch.
