October 14th7pm
RSVP Required - see below
Have you ever hungered for something more? Or maybe you’ve been told you want too much: too much power, money, food, sex. Maybe you’ve been told you are too much— too fat, thin, hungry, loud, ambitious… We’re curious about appetites. What constitutes too much—or too little; who gets denied what they want, and why. This book club aims to examine the desires of those on the fringes, and what happens when we give in to or suppress those desires. No matter how… unusual these desires may be. We will draw on texts across genres, ranging from memoir to horror to literary and short fiction. Come join us, and sate your appetite for something more.
This month we'll discuss Monika Kim's feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective, The Eyes Are the Best Part.
"I was enticed from the first line and entertained throughout. The Eyes Are The Best Part is a quirky, engaging read."—Oyinkan Brainthwaite, bestselling author of My Sister, the Serial Killer
“The Eyes Are the Best Part is part fever dream, part downwards spiral that masterfully explores the pressures of being an elder sibling, the turbulence and pain of fractured families, race and misogyny, and immigration. It tackles the most difficult parts of trauma and Asian womanhood through a narrative that is messy, complicated, and above all, gut wrenching. Kim has written a character who readers will love, hate, and will want to hug tight and never let go.” —Ai Jiang, Nebula finalist and author of Linghun and I Am AI
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.
Reserve your place with a $5 voucher, redeemable on the night of the book club meeting on any product in store.