Ji-won is a Korean American student whose family is falling apart after her dad walks out. Her mum's new boyfriend George is a smug, red-faced nightmare with piercing blue eyes, and Ji-won starts dreaming about eating them. Then the dreams stop being dreams. It is a slow, queasy spiral about rage, family, fetishisation and appetite, and it made at least one member of this club go off their dinner. That member has asked to remain anonymous. It was all of us.
Exhibit A: dinner is served. The blue ones, we are reliably informed, are the sweetest. Cutlery optional. Appetite mandatory.
What Happens (spoilers, historic)
Dad leaves. The family cracks. Umma starts dating George, who calls Korean women "sweet little things". You want him dead by page 30. This is intentional.
The fish eye. At dinner, Ji-won eats a fish eye, a delicacy and a memory. Something in her brain goes quietly, permanently sideways.
The dreams. Piles of gorgeous blue eyes, glistening like sweets. She wakes up hungry. The book dares you to find them delicious too, and horribly, you sort of do.
The descent. University slips, a creepy classmate orbits her, George digs in at home, and Ji-won starts making plans that a wellness advisor would flag.
The ending. She gets what she craves. We do not say more even in the historic section, because the last chapters deserve to hit you in the face like they hit us.
Weird Things
It is a debut novel. Monika Kim came out of the gate writing eyeball-consumption scenes with total confidence, which is either inspiring or a police matter.
The horror is technically culinary. Multiple scenes read like recipe writing until you remember what the ingredient is.
The real villain debate split the club: George, the patriarchy, or hunger itself. The minutes record that Kel settled it, as is her right.
The title works as a spoiler, a thesis statement and a serving suggestion.
The Club Record
Laura picked this as book number one, which set the tone for this entire club: no easing in, straight to eyeballs. Kel has retroactively blessed the selection. Several members reported side-eyeing blue-eyed strangers on public transport for weeks. The eye above follows you because it knows.