The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim

Erewhon Books is pleased to announce The Eyes Are The Best Part, the debut horror novel from Monika Kim, arriving next year in the Summer of 2024.

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.

Editor Diana Pho said, “From page one, I knew I was reading an urgent, demanding fresh voice in horror. Monika's debut dives into complex questions about objectification, desire, and power that have long-simmered about the Asian-American community and are ready to boil over! Not to mention that The Eyes Are The Best Part is a fierce and bloody entertaining read! I welcome Monika Kim to Erewhon and am raring to unleash her novel's unsettling vision upon the world.”

Monika Kim said, “I have been wanting to tell a story like this for a long time. Ultimately, The Eyes Are The Best Part is a commentary on issues that Asian-American women face every day. I hope that it encourages women of all backgrounds to push boundaries and defy the stereotypes placed upon us based on where we are from and the way we look. Beyond thrilled to be working with the incredible Diana Pho at Erewhon!”

More on the book below!

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. 

Cover reveal and preorder links to come soon!