The Eyes Are the Best Part begins as a family memoir. Ji-won is devastated by her father leaving their family for his mistress. Ji-won’s mother is alternately despondent and hopeful of a reunion. One day, the mother makes fish and insists that Ji-won eat the fisheyes for luck. Ji-won then has dreams of eyes, but not fisheyes, blue human eyes. When her mother finds a new boyfriend, Ji-won dislikes him intensely. And so starts Ji-won’s descent into madness.
The memoir part of The Eyes Are the Best Part has the typically slow pace of literary fiction. But don’t quit reading. The thriller section makes the lead-up well worth reading. Few books describe insanity from a killer’s perspective so creepily. And the twists at the end are fantastic. 5 stars and highly recommended to serial killer thriller readers.
Thanks to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.