What is The Eyes Are the Best Part about?

The Eyes Are the Best Part is a feminist psychological horror novel about a Korean American college student who becomes obsessed with eating white men's eyes after consuming a fish eye during a traditional Korean dinner. This debut novel by Monika Kim explores the unraveling of a young woman and her family, blending cultural traditions with dark psychological themes to create a subversive tale about female rage and identity.

Who is Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best Part?

Monika Kim is a second-generation Korean American author living in Los Angeles's Koreatown. She graduated from UC Davis with a B.A. in Communication and works for an environmental agency focused on environmental justice. Kim learned about eating fish eyes and Korean superstitions from her mother, who immigrated from Seoul in 1985. The Eyes Are the Best Part is her debut novel, published in June 2024.

Who should read The Eyes Are the Best Part?

The Eyes Are the Best Part is ideal for readers who enjoy feminist horror, psychological thrillers, and stories exploring the Asian American experience. Fans of authors like Cathy Park Hong, Min Jin Lee, and Shirley Jackson will appreciate Kim's subversive approach. This novel suits readers interested in cultural identity, intergenerational trauma, and darkly inventive narratives that challenge traditional horror tropes while addressing contemporary social issues.

Is The Eyes Are the Best Part worth reading?

The Eyes Are the Best Part is worth reading for its unique blend of Korean American cultural elements with psychological horror and feminist themes. The novel has been praised as "brilliant," "provocative," and "deeply unsettling," and became a Sunday Times bestseller. Kim's fresh perspective on the serial killer origin story, combined with her exploration of family dynamics and cultural identity, offers a compelling and original reading experience.

What genre is The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim?

The Eyes Are the Best Part is a feminist psychological horror novel. It combines elements of literary fiction with horror, creating what critics describe as a modern horror story that incorporates family drama and cultural commentary. The book fits within the growing genre of folk horror from the Asian diaspora, exploring how cultural traditions and superstitions intersect with contemporary psychological terror and social critique.

What is the significance of eating fish eyes in The Eyes Are the Best Part?

In The Eyes Are the Best Part, eating fish eyes serves as both a cultural tradition and a catalyst for the protagonist's dark obsession. This Korean culinary practice, passed down from the protagonist's immigrant mother, triggers an escalating fixation on consuming white men's eyes. The act symbolizes cultural inheritance, the consumption of power, and a twisted form of reclaiming agency, transforming a traditional family ritual into something sinister and transgressive.

What Korean cultural elements appear in The Eyes Are the Best Part?

The Eyes Are the Best Part incorporates Korean superstitions, traditional dining practices, and the immigrant experience throughout its narrative. Monika Kim draws from her mother's teachings about fish eyes and cultural beliefs from Seoul. The novel explores second-generation Korean American identity in Los Angeles's Koreatown, examining intergenerational dynamics, cultural expectations, and how traditional practices shape contemporary experiences. These elements ground the horror in authentic cultural specificity.

How does The Eyes Are the Best Part explore feminist themes?

The Eyes Are the Best Part examines feminist themes through its portrayal of a female serial killer in the making, subverting traditional gender narratives in horror. Monika Kim explores female rage, agency, and resistance against patriarchal structures. The novel addresses the humiliation and disempowerment experienced by immigrant families, particularly women, and transforms these experiences into a dark feminist reckoning that challenges readers to sympathize with transgressive female violence.

Eyes Are the Best Part

A Novel

Monika Kim

3.79(60215 Reviews)

Overview of Eyes Are the Best Part

In "The Eyes Are the Best Part," Monika Kim's horror masterpiece explores Asian American experiences through visceral body horror. TIME Magazine's must-read finalist for the Bram Stoker Award asks: What happens when marginalized anger transforms into revenge? The New York Times calls it "violent, smart, gruesome and wildly original."

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Chapter 1

The Hunger That Consumes Us

When Monika Kim's debut novel "The Eyes Are the Best Part" hit shelves in 2024, it sent ripples through the literary world with its unflinching exploration of identity, obsession, and the darker aspects of the immigrant experience. The book quickly gained a cult following among horror enthusiasts and literary fiction readers alike, with celebrities like Mindy Kaling and Sandra Oh praising its psychological depth. Kim's visceral storytelling draws from her experiences as a second-generation Korean-American, crafting a narrative that's as culturally nuanced as it is disturbing. The novel has been lauded for challenging Asian-American stereotypes while delving into universal themes of belonging and family dynamics. As you step into this world of fish eyes and blue irises, prepare yourself for a journey that will leave you questioning what truly nourishes us-and what ultimately consumes us.

Chapter 2

The Fracturing of a Family

The story begins with a simple family dinner where Umma (mother) serves fish to her two daughters, Ji-won and Ji-hyun. With practiced precision, she prepares the meal and offers them the fish eyes-"the best part," according to her. When both daughters refuse, she cheerfully claims the delicacy for herself, stabbing it with her chopstick and consuming it with obvious pleasure while declaring it "delicious." This seemingly ordinary moment becomes weighted with significance when Umma accidentally mentions their father, who had left just two weeks prior, creating an awkward silence. The absence of their father, Appa, creates a void that Umma tries desperately to fill. In the days following his departure, she sobbed through the nights while her daughters listened helplessly through the bedroom wall. Ji-hyun, the younger sister, asks if their father will return, and Ji-won lies to comfort her though she knows the truth. Umma's grief manifests in peculiar ways. She prepares an elaborate feast-including Appa's favorite dishes-and sets the table for four, revealing her desperate hope for his return. When someone jiggles keys outside their door, she rushes to answer, only to collapse in tears when it's merely a neighbor at the wrong apartment. In this vulnerable moment, she suddenly declares that fish eyes bring good luck and devours one, offering the other to her daughters. When they recoil, she laughs through her tears, saying she needs all the luck she can get. The truth behind Appa's departure is revealed when Ji-won recounts overhearing her parents' argument. Her typically passive mother was crying, begging him not to leave, asking if he cared about his family. Appa's cold response-"I can't stay. I met someone else"-was followed by Umma's terrible howling that continued through the night. This moment marks the beginning of Ji-won's understanding of her mother's powerlessness and her own growing resentment toward men who abandon their responsibilities. Two months later, Umma still waits by the entrance, reorganizing the closet while listening for Appa's footsteps. Ji-won wants to tell her it's pointless but knows she won't listen. Waiting is familiar to Umma-a skill she learned in childhood when her parents abandoned her during a harsh Korean winter, leaving fourteen-year-old Ha-joon in charge of the younger children. While her siblings left to find work, Umma stubbornly remained, surviving on snow, bark, and occasional small animals until her parents returned months later to find her skeletal and alone.

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Chapter 3

The Allure of Blue Eyes

As the family adjusts to their new reality, Umma begins to express problematic views about race and relationships. She claims white men are better because they're "nice and handsome. Tall," based on her limited interactions at the grocery store. When her daughters challenge this perspective, she bursts into tears, lamenting that she's "an old, ugly woman with nobody to love me" who should have "found a nice white man" instead of marrying their father. She makes her daughters promise never to date Korean men-a promise Ji-won readily makes to keep the peace, while Ji-hyun refuses. The family dynamic shifts dramatically when Umma begins dating George, a white former military man who supposedly speaks Korean "better than you or Ji-hyun." She gushes about how "special" he is and how appreciative he is of Korean culture. When they finally meet him, the reality is disappointing-his Korean is terrible, he orders excessive amounts of food without consulting them, insists on "no spice" despite Ji-hyun's preferences, and openly stares at their waitress's body. George's most striking feature-his pale, icy blue eyes-becomes a focal point of Ji-won's growing obsession. After their first meeting, she dreams of a claustrophobic room covered with eyes of various animals. When she eats them, the room expands. The dream culminates with a single human eye-clean, white, with a striking blue iris-that she consumes despite her revulsion. Just before waking, she realizes the blue eye looked exactly like George's-"a blazing, luminous blue." As George begins staying overnight and eventually moves in "temporarily," Ji-won becomes increasingly fixated on his eyes. She presses her ear against the wall to listen to him breathing at night and has nightmares where she finds not her mother and George in bed, but a giant eyeball-George's eyeball-wet and squelching, watching her every move. This obsession gradually transforms into something more sinister as Ji-won begins to plot against George, particularly after overhearing him on the phone revealing that her mother is merely his "side piece" while his girlfriend Jen is angry about his trip to Thailand. Ji-won's fixation on blue eyes extends beyond George. She begins noticing blue-eyed strangers everywhere, feeling an inexplicable hunger when she sees them. During a philosophy exam, she presses against her eyes and has a vision of George's blue eye floating just out of reach. Later, she searches online about blue eyes, convinced they would "taste amazing" compared to brown ones. This disturbing obsession foreshadows the dark turn her character will take.

Chapter 4

The Descent into Madness

Ji-won's mental state deteriorates as George's presence in their home continues. She begins having violent nightmares, sleepwalking, and experiencing migraines. Her academic performance suffers dramatically-she fails philosophy and earns poor marks in her other courses, placing her on academic probation with the risk of losing her scholarship. During one particularly intense migraine, she hallucinates a glowing orange sphere like George's eye. The line between reality and fantasy blurs as Ji-won's obsession with George's eyes transforms into something more sinister. She begins stealing from him-first a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet, then his keys which she hides behind the kimchi in the refrigerator. When George tears through the apartment searching for his missing keys, Ji-won secretly enjoys watching him crawl around in desperation. Later, she takes his prized Rolex-a diamond-studded timepiece with a mother-of-pearl face that he claimed was passed down from his father-and destroys it, leaving the shattered remains for him to find. These acts of sabotage escalate when Ji-won follows George's truck into Downtown LA and discovers he's living a double life with a petite Asian woman named Jen. Realizing George is preying on Asian women while making empty promises to her mother, Ji-won's determination to destroy him intensifies. She deletes his important work presentation and replaces it with pornographic images of young Asian women, causing him to lose his job. She creates a fake dating profile using a photo of an Asian girl and begins chatting with George, manipulating him further. The most disturbing aspect of Ji-won's descent is her growing compulsion to consume blue eyes. After a night of drinking with her friend Alexis, she discovers a homeless man with blue eyes who has died. In a trance-like state, she cuts around the man's eye socket and extracts the eyeball. Despite her revulsion, she consumes it entirely, experiencing its "salty, jellylike texture" and "metallic, beefy flavor" before vomiting everything up. This horrifying act is just the beginning. Ji-won later attacks a man in an alleyway, cutting into his flesh and extracting both his eyes after killing him. She devours them "in ecstasy, the blood running down my throat as I chew the cartilage." These violent episodes coincide with news reports of murders near campus, suggesting Ji-won has become a serial killer targeting blue-eyed victims.

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Chapter 5

Toxic Relationships and False Friends

Throughout her first year of college, Ji-won navigates complex relationships that mirror the dysfunction in her family. She forms a friendship with Geoffrey, a white student who presents himself as enlightened about race and gender issues. He sends her cat pictures, listens to her complaints about George, and seems supportive initially. However, Geoffrey's behavior becomes increasingly possessive and controlling-he never accepts her "no" until she relents, drives by her mother's grocery store uninvited, and gives her chopsticks as a Christmas present, revealing his shallow understanding of her culture. The relationship takes a sinister turn when Ji-won realizes Geoffrey has been stalking her. "You've been following me?" she asks, to which he casually replies, "Of course. I needed to protect you. That's what you do when you love someone." He reveals he took her backpack containing her knife, saying she can have it back when she "deserves it." When she rejects his romantic advances, he becomes aggressive, grabbing her wrist painfully and trying to kiss her against her will. In contrast, Ji-won's friendship with Alexis seems more genuine. Alexis offers her sleeping pills when she's struggling with insomnia, helps her study for exams, and shares food with her generously. Their relationship has undertones of romantic attraction, with Ji-won noting how her heart races when their thighs touch on Alexis's "squashy couch." However, even this relationship is complicated by Ji-won's deteriorating mental state-she calls Alexis in the middle of the night asking about her missing backpack, creating tension between them. Ji-won's past relationships are equally problematic. She recalls how she systematically sabotaged her high school friendship group after being the only one rejected from UC Berkeley despite having similar grades and identical extracurriculars as her friends. Consumed by jealousy, she stole Han-byeol's precious heirloom ring and planted it in Sarah's drawer, knowing Sarah had always envied it. She sent fake messages from Jenny's crush and impersonated Jenny in emails to Sarah, poisoning their once-tight group against each other. When they confront her during Thanksgiving break, she's unable to face their disappointment and walks out. These toxic relationship patterns reflect Ji-won's inability to form healthy connections, stemming from her family dynamics and her father's abandonment. She repeatedly sabotages relationships, manipulates others, and pushes away those who genuinely care about her, all while harboring resentment and violent impulses toward those she perceives as threats or betrayers.

Chapter 6

Cultural Identity and Immigrant Experience

The novel explores the complex dynamics of cultural identity and the immigrant experience through the lens of a Korean-American family. Umma's internalized racism manifests in her preference for white men and her insistence that her daughters avoid dating Korean men. This perspective stems from her own experiences of hardship and marginalization, both in Korea and America. Ji-won's father, Appa, embodies the immigrant struggle for success. Despite his poor beginnings, he taught himself to read using discarded newspapers and earned a spot at Seoul National University. In America, he initially thrived-meeting and marrying Umma, buying a dry-cleaning business and a house. However, when his friend Min-ho scammed him with a fake "investment opportunity," Appa lost everything. His subsequent resentment toward their small apartment, broken-down truck, and the reminders of his failures reflects the crushing weight of the immigrant dream deferred. The family's relationship with food, particularly Korean dishes, serves as a cultural touchstone throughout the narrative. Umma prepares elaborate Korean feasts for special occasions-homemade sashimi with spicy gochujang sauce, fried salmon heads, gyeran-mari (rolled egg omelet), and bubbling doenjang jjigae. These meals represent connection to their heritage but also become sites of tension when George dismisses or fetishizes their cultural practices. Language barriers further complicate their experiences. Ji-won recalls how her father's inability to speak English diminished him in America, making him vulnerable to mockery and unable to defend himself against false accusations. This memory planted "a seed of rage" within her, highlighting how language proficiency directly impacts power dynamics for immigrants. The novel also explores cultural expectations around filial piety and family obligations. Despite her father's abandonment and her mother's problematic behavior, Ji-won feels responsible for protecting her family-particularly her younger sister Ji-hyun. This sense of duty drives many of her actions, even as she recognizes the toxicity within their family dynamic.

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Chapter 7

The Monster Within

As the narrative progresses, the question of monstrosity becomes central. Is Ji-won's violent behavior the result of her brain tumor, or does it reveal something inherent in her character? The revelation that Ji-won has had a brain tumor "possibly her entire life" offers a potential explanation for her violent impulses and obsession with blue eyes. After surgery to remove the tumor, she notes that when she thinks of George's eyes, she feels "nothing-no desire, no obsession," suggesting the tumor may have been responsible for her compulsions. However, the novel resists simple explanations. Ji-won's methodical planning, manipulation of others, and history of sabotaging relationships predate her violent episodes. Her ability to hide evidence, create alibis, and frame Geoffrey for George's murder demonstrates calculated thinking rather than tumor-induced impulses. Even after her surgery, she continues to plot revenge, planning to confront her father and "ensure he can never hurt our family again." The question of monstrosity extends to other characters as well. Umma asks, "What's wrong with me? Why does this keep happening? Am I a monster?" after discovering George's infidelity. Her revelation that she manipulated Ji-won's father into marriage by using her citizenship status suggests a pattern of deception motivated by desperation. Similarly, George's predatory behavior toward Asian women, his racist comments, and his double life with Jen reveal his own monstrous nature. Ji-hyun even suggests their family might be cursed, pointing to "a toxicity lurking in our blood." This notion of inherited trauma or generational dysfunction adds another layer to the exploration of monstrosity-perhaps the true monster is not any individual but the systems of oppression, abandonment, and cultural displacement that shape their experiences.

Chapter 8

The Symbolic Significance of Eyes

Eyes serve as the central motif throughout the novel, carrying multiple layers of symbolic significance. The title itself-"The Eyes Are the Best Part"-introduces this motif through Umma's insistence that fish eyes bring good luck. This seemingly innocent cultural practice takes on sinister implications as Ji-won's obsession with blue eyes develops into violent compulsion. Eyes represent perception and understanding-the way we see others and are seen by them. Ji-won's fixation on blue eyes specifically connects to her feelings about whiteness and power. Blue eyes become symbols of privilege and cultural dominance, particularly in contrast to her own Korean heritage. By consuming these eyes, Ji-won symbolically attempts to incorporate this power into herself. The act of consuming eyes also represents Ji-won's desire to control how she is perceived. Throughout the novel, she manipulates others' perceptions of her-lying to her sister about their father's return, pretending to be fine with her high school friends, creating a false dating profile to trick George. By literally consuming eyes, she takes ultimate control over the gaze that judges her. Eyes further symbolize vulnerability. When George's eyes are removed in the final act, he is rendered completely powerless-the ultimate revenge for his predatory behavior. Similarly, when Ji-won wakes from a nightmare with her eyes sealed shut by "some kind of liquid," she experiences terror at being unable to see her attacker. The Korean concept of "nunchi" (a keen sense of tact or the ability to gauge others' feelings) appears early in the novel when Umma says Ji-hyun has good nunchi that makes her "more Korean than I am." This cultural concept connects eyes to emotional intelligence and social awareness-qualities Ji-won increasingly lacks as her mental state deteriorates.

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Chapter 9

Revenge and Justice

The novel ultimately becomes a profound meditation on revenge and justice, questioning whether personal vengeance can ever truly heal wounds inflicted by others. Ji-won's escalating acts of sabotage against George - beginning with small acts like stealing his prized possessions and culminating in the systematic destruction of his career and life - are presented as righteous retribution for his mistreatment of her mother and his predatory behavior toward Asian women. Yet these acts, rather than providing the catharsis she seeks, only deepen her isolation and accelerate her descent into increasingly calculated violence. The psychological toll of revenge becomes evident through Ji-won's meticulous planning. She documents George's daily routines, studies his habits, and exploits his vulnerabilities with surgical precision. Each successful act of vengeance, rather than satisfying her need for justice, only intensifies her desire for more complete retribution. Her journal entries reveal an increasingly disturbed mindset, where moments of doubt are quickly rationalized away through references to her mother's suffering and other victims' stories. When Ji-won orchestrates Geoffrey's framing for George's murder, she creates what she describes as "an airtight case" - a masterclass in manipulating evidence. The murder weapon bears Geoffrey's fingerprints, carefully planted over weeks. Her own pocket knife, matching the wounds of her previous victims, will be discovered in his home during the inevitable police search. His cell phone location data, manipulated through careful planning, will further cement his guilt. This elaborate framing scheme serves as a stark commentary on how justice systems can be manipulated, raising profound questions about the relationship between institutional justice and personal revenge. The novel suggests that cycles of violence perpetuate themselves in increasingly destructive ways. Ji-won's final thoughts reveal not satisfaction or closure, but an obsessive focus on her next target - her father. "I'll ensure he can never hurt our family again," she vows, demonstrating how revenge operates as an endless cycle rather than a path to resolution. Each act of vengeance seems to create a new wound requiring its own retribution. This dark trajectory is purposefully contrasted with moments of genuine connection and healing throughout the narrative. When Ji-hyun and Ji-won share memories of their father's peculiar habits - like his absurd insistence that they buy exact replacements for his favorite cookies after secretly eating them - they experience genuine moments of joy. These scenes of "laughing and crying together" suggest alternative paths to healing that don't involve violence. The sisters' ability to find humor and warmth in shared memories, even amid their pain, presents a powerful counterpoint to Ji-won's chosen path of revenge. The novel ultimately leaves readers to grapple with complex questions about justice, healing, and the true cost of revenge. Through Ji-won's journey, it suggests that while vengeance might offer temporary satisfaction, it cannot provide the deeper healing that comes from human connection and acceptance of past trauma.

Chapter 10

The Inheritance of Trauma

At its heart, "The Eyes Are the Best Part" explores how trauma is inherited and transmitted across generations. Umma's childhood abandonment by her parents during a harsh Korean winter left her with deep psychological scars that manifest in her adult relationships-particularly her desperate clinging to men who treat her poorly. Her willingness to endure George's disrespect mirrors her determination to survive alone as a child, waiting for parents who might never return. Ji-won inherits this trauma but processes it differently. While Umma becomes passive and dependent, Ji-won develops rage and a desire for control. She observes that unlike her mother who is "too weak" or her sister who is "too young," she's "growing stronger each day." This strength, however, manifests in violence rather than resilience. The novel also explores cultural trauma through the immigrant experience. Appa's struggle against his poor fortune (palja) from childhood, his determination to succeed in America, and his eventual disillusionment reflect broader patterns of displacement and adaptation. When this cultural trauma intersects with personal betrayal-as when Min-ho scams Appa out of his savings-it creates compound wounds that affect the entire family. Ji-hyun's suggestion that their family might be cursed points to this sense of inherited trauma. Her habit of anxiously rubbing the scar on her ankle when stressed serves as a physical manifestation of psychological wounds. Similarly, Umma's bleeding hands from obsessively making paper flowers for her doomed wedding represent how trauma inscribes itself on the body. The brain tumor that's revealed near the end of the novel complicates this narrative of inherited trauma. If Ji-won's violent behavior stems partly from a physical condition, does this absolve her of responsibility? Or does it suggest that trauma can manifest physically as well as psychologically? The novel leaves these questions deliberately unresolved, inviting readers to consider the complex interplay between biological, psychological, and cultural factors in shaping human behavior.

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Chapter 11

The Hunger That Cannot Be Satisfied

In the final analysis, "The Eyes Are the Best Part" explores various forms of hunger that can never be fully satisfied-hunger for belonging, for power, for understanding, and for love. Ji-won's literal consumption of eyes represents a metaphorical attempt to fill the emptiness left by her father's abandonment and her sense of cultural displacement. Umma's desperate pursuit of marriage to George despite his obvious unsuitability reflects her hunger for security and social acceptance. Her elaborate cooking throughout the novel-preparing feasts that go uneaten or unappreciated-symbolizes her attempts to nourish a family that's fundamentally broken. George's predatory behavior toward multiple Asian women reveals his own insatiable appetite for control and exotic consumption. His blue eyes-the objects of Ji-won's obsession-represent a gaze that devours rather than truly sees, reducing others to objects for his satisfaction. Even Ji-hyun, the most balanced character, expresses hunger through her childhood habit of stealing food and hiding it in her closet-a behavior that resurfaces when she takes Ji-won's bracelet, suggesting her own unmet needs for security and possession. The novel's final image-Ji-won planning to confront her father despite her recent surgery and near-death experience-shows how revenge becomes its own form of hunger that can never be satisfied. Each act of vengeance only creates more emptiness, requiring increasingly extreme measures to fill. This exploration of insatiable hunger makes "The Eyes Are the Best Part" a profound meditation on the human condition. We are all, in some sense, consuming each other through our gazes, our judgments, and our relationships. The true horror lies not in Ji-won's literal consumption of eyes but in the recognition that we all devour parts of each other in our desperate attempts to feel whole.

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Key Themes in Eyes Are the Best Part

cannibalistic obsession
immigrant family trauma
fetishization of whiteness
female rage
second-generation identity crisis

Quotes from Eyes Are the Best Part

Waiting is familiar to Umma.
She claims white men are better because they're 'nice and handsome. Tall.'
Ji-won wants to tell her it's pointless but knows she won't listen.
The dream culminates with a single human eye...that she consumes despite her revulsion.
This disturbing obsession foreshadows the dark turn her character will take.

Characters in Eyes Are the Best Part

Ji-wonThe protagonist who develops a dark obsession
UmmaJi-won's mother, struggling with her husband's exit
Ji-hyunJi-won's younger sister
AppaThe father whose departure fractures the family

About the Author

Monika Kim is the author of The Eyes Are the Best Part, an award-winning feminist psychological horror novel that examines identity, rage, and fetishization through a Korean-American perspective. As a second-generation Korean American raised in Los Angeles's Koreatown, Kim brings authentic cultural insight to her provocative debut, which follows a college student who becomes obsessed with eating white men's eyes after consuming a fish eye during a traditional Korean dinner.

Kim graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a B.A. in Communication and has worked in environmental justice since 2016, focusing on outreach and youth education programs for underserved communities. She draws on Korean superstitions and culinary traditions learned from her mother, who immigrated from Seoul to California in 1985, infusing her horror fiction with cultural authenticity while addressing feminist themes and the Asian American experience.

Her follow-up novel, Molka, is expected in 2026. The Eyes Are the Best Part has been praised for its razor-sharp prose and unflinching exploration of contemporary social issues through the horror genre.

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"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

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"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

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"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

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483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

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Chapter 9

Eyes Are the Best Part

OverviewOverview of Eyes Are the Best Part

One book. Many ways to hear it.

The Hunger That Consumes Us

The Fracturing of a Family

See every word as you hear it

The Allure of Blue Eyes

The Descent into Madness

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Toxic Relationships and False Friends

Cultural Identity and Immigrant Experience

See every word as you hear it

The Monster Within

The Symbolic Significance of Eyes

Get more out of Eyes Are the Best Part

Revenge and Justice

The Inheritance of Trauma

See every word as you hear it

The Hunger That Cannot Be Satisfied

You made it to the end of Eyes Are the Best Part

Key Themes in Eyes Are the Best Part

Quotes from Eyes Are the Best Part

Characters in Eyes Are the Best Part

About the Author

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1,000,000+ curious minds.

1,000,000+ curious minds.

One book. Many ways to hear it.

The Hunger That Consumes Us

The Fracturing of a Family

See every word as you hear it

The Allure of Blue Eyes

The Descent into Madness

Get more out of Eyes Are the Best Part

Toxic Relationships and False Friends

Cultural Identity and Immigrant Experience

See every word as you hear it

The Monster Within

The Symbolic Significance of Eyes

Get more out of Eyes Are the Best Part

Revenge and Justice

The Inheritance of Trauma

See every word as you hear it

The Hunger That Cannot Be Satisfied

You made it to the end of Eyes Are the Best Part

Users also liked

Discover more

Overview of Eyes Are the Best Part