The Eyes Are the Best Part: Deluxe Limited Edition

By Monika Kim

“Violent, smart, gruesome and wildly original, this novel pulls readers into a horrific world of murder and cannibalism while also critiquing misogyny, exploring Asian fetishization and stereotypes, sharing what it’s like to navigate two cultures and telling a touching story of a family in turmoil.” —New York Times Book Review

* TIME MAGAZINE 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2024 * BRAM STOKER AWARD WINNER * SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD FINALIST *

Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister, the Serial Killer in this feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.


Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her Appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying . . . yet enticing. 

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that. 

For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated. 

A brilliantly inventive, subversive novel about a young woman unraveling, Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part is a story of a family falling apart and trying to find their way back to each other, marking a bold new voice in horror that will leave readers mesmerized and craving more.

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Published Jun 25, 2024

304 pages

Average rating: 7.32

148 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *The Eyes Are the Best Part* by Monika Kim is a vivid, slow-burning psychological and body horror centered on a Korean-American family, ex...

KillerBeautee
Jul 13, 2026
6/10 stars
Really interesting concept. But somehow felt sluggish despite the subject matter.
book-gremlin
Apr 25, 2026
10/10 stars
Such a great coming of age story. A shedding her parental shackles, finding, and embracing her power. Becoming a woman who won't shy away from looking anyone in the eye.
ABest
Jun 25, 2026
6/10 stars
Slow build at first. But once it takes off you'll find yourself saying "that escalated quickly."
lotti.4e
Jun 15, 2026
7/10 stars
Great writing style. The ending feels to rushed.
juli1357
Mar 26, 2026
4/10 stars
I expected to love this book, but I found it very disappointing. Similar to MAEVE FLY in that it explores feminist rage, but is poorly executed. There is very little character development re: the protagonist. As a result, she very one-dimensional. All of the male characters are cartoonish. There is no nuance. I'm surprised this book won the 2024 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

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