The Eyes Are the Best Part

January 1, 2024

In Kim's debut, college freshman Ji-won's life is in disarray as her family falls apart following her father's affair and departure. When her mom brings home her obnoxious new boyfriend, George, Ji-won finds herself dreaming of horrifying yet enticing rooms full of succulent blue eyes. As she tries to sate her hunger and rage, the victims accumulate. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2024

DEBUT Kim has burst onto the psychological horror scene with an expertly constructed, visceral debut that unapologetically attacks a world that has allowed the pervasive fetishization of Asian women not only to persist but to thrive. Ji-won is a lonely Korean American college student who lives in a small apartment with her mother and her younger sister. Their father has recently left them. Her mother is trying to pick up some good luck by eating the best part of their fish dinner--the eyes. Ji-won, both attracted to and disgusted by this act, begins to become obsessed by the blue eyes of the white men around her, especially those of classmate Geoffrey and her mother's new boyfriend, George. Ji-won confidently leads readers through this unsettling story, earning immediate empathy, even as she inserts serious doubt. The perfectly executed pacing ensnares readers even as the story's palpable anxiety evolves into repulsion, daring them to pull their eyes away. Ji-won will stay with readers whether they want her to or not. VERDICT With obvious nods to the serious issues that underpin Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, and clearly inspired by Gillian Flynn's seminal Gone Girl, Kim has written a novel that every library needs to own.

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 22, 2024
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. Agent: Nicola Barr, Bent Agency.

May 15, 2024
A new voice in horror tells a gripping psychological story about how one woman is driven to do the unthinkable. Ji-won's parents are divorcing. Her father has moved out to live with his new love interest, and Ji-won and her sister live with their depressed mother. One of the few things that give her mother happiness is eating the eyes of fish. She claims this will bring luck and encourages her daughters to do the same. For some reason, this idea worms its way into Ji-won's brain, and when her mother's new boyfriend moves in with them, she can't stop thinking about his eyes and what they might taste like. It doesn't help that she is dealing with the pressure of school, taking on the responsibility of care for her sister, and juggling interpersonal relationships. With the pieces in place, the reader is treated to the not-always-reliable narration of Ji-won and her struggle with her cannibalistic and homicidal desires. Horror fans will enjoy getting to know this new author, and readers of thrillers will enjoy the unreliable narrator and the pace.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 15, 2024
Men--not the woman who murders them--are the objects of horror in this debut novel. The story opens with a vivid description of the protagonist's mother tearing apart a fish she has just cooked and horrifying both her daughters by pulling out an eye, holding it aloft, and eating it with exaggerated relish. It's an arresting tableau and one that will--as you might guess from the title--take on greater significance as the narrative progresses. This is also a rare moment of pleasure for a woman whose world is falling apart after her husband abruptly left her, and this betrayal by a man will also echo throughout the book. Ji-won, the narrator, is in her first year of college. She's struggling academically and socially. When a white guy named Geoffrey seems eager to get to know her, she neither discourages him nor encourages him. Her reaction to her mother's new boyfriend, George--another white guy--is entirely straightforward: She loathes him, and his arrival is something of a psychic turning point. Her loathing turns into nightmares about blue eyes, and Ji-won turns into a murderer with a desperate need to devour human eyeballs. There will no doubt be readers who get a kick out of this book simply because it's a feminist revenge fantasy. But if the concept alone isn't enough to hold your attention, there's not much else on offer here. The pace is leaden--until the final act, which feels rushed and truncated. Geoffrey is straight caricature; a dude who is this emphatic about his feminism has to be a creep. George is also rather broadly depicted. It's only fair to say that his ignorance, bigotry, and general terribleness are believable but, as a villain, he doesn't have enough depth to make him interesting. Neither does Ji-won, and that's probably this book's greatest weakness. Kim does very little to help us understand why, exactly, this young woman turns murderous. Young women all over the world deal with terrible men every day without going on a cannibalistic killing spree. Her transition from aimless and unhappy college student to devious criminal mastermind is equally perplexing. Tantalizingly sensationalistic premise, disappointing execution.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.