{"product_id":"japanese-gothic-a-folk-horror-novel-of-japanese-mythology-murder-and-family-duty-across-two-timelines-original","title":"Japanese Gothic: A Folk Horror Novel of Japanese Mythology, Murder, and Family Duty Across Two Timelines (Original)","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"An eerie and unrelenting tale of two lives, two time periods, and one singular horror soaked in blood and sorrow.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Chuck Wendig, \n\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \n\u003cem\u003eThe Staircase in the Woods\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"At its heart, \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e is a triumph, deftly constructed and frequently hair-raising.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e-- \n\u003cem\u003eBookPage\u003c\/em\u003e, starred review \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A breathless collision of timelines, cultures, and destinies in this impressive horror outing.... In wrenching prose, Baker renders her characters both deeply flawed and profoundly human.... It's as gruesome as it is un-put-downable.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e-- \n\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e, starred review \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A spectacular, thought-provoking, and chilling story about how the past ties itself to the present in ways humans cannot comprehend or explain.... Readers will savor every minute.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e-- \n\u003cem\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/em\u003e, starred review \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e is many things: a haunting. A mystery. A ghost story. A fairy tale. A love story. Above all, it's a compelling and heartbreaking piece of art about how parental expectations can damage us, and how love can, if not quite heal us, at least set us free.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Johanna van Veen, author of \n\u003cem\u003eBlood on Her Tongue\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A mesmerizing, beautifully crafted story that breathes new life into the haunted house genre. Ghosts dwell between every page.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Marcus Kliewer, author of \n\u003cem\u003eWe Used to Live Here\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Kylie Lee Baker has done it again with this tense and bloody follow-up to her incredible adult debut. \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e is brilliantly inventive, sending a prickle down your spine as you struggle to distinguish between reality and delusion. A must-read--I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Monika Kim, internationally bestselling author of \n\u003cem\u003e The Eyes Are the Best Part\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e is a heady puzzle box of story--the ones we are told and the ones we tell ourselves to survive. Intricate, sensuous, and haunting, the strange truth at the center of two shared mysteries unfurls in fragile, mesmerizing layers. Utterly sublime.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Olivie Blake, \n\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \n\u003cem\u003eGirl Dinner\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An astounding tapestry of blood, time, history, and guilt: \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e is bold and ambitious and executed with a master's touch. Pick this up.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Andrew Joseph White, \n\u003cem\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/em\u003ebestselling author of \n\u003cem\u003eYou Weren't Meant to Be Human\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e is a rare gem of a time-slip novel, in which an NYU student hiding a terrible secret from his father crosses paths with an 1870s female samurai--raised by her own father's inflexible code--in a deliciously appealing and ancient house. Kylie Lee Baker effortlessly takes in Japanese mythology, puts her own spin on history, and weaves it all together into an incredibly tense, bloody finale. Following on from the enormous success of \n\u003cem\u003eBat Eater\u003c\/em\u003e, this is, once again, an absolutely marvellous and inventive book.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Ally Wilkes, author of \n\u003cem\u003eWhere the Dead Wait\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An utterly gorgeous tale of lost souls and bad fathers, \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e is brilliant and haunting. Baker controls even her most ethereal threads with the confidence of an orchestra conductor, making every note ring true. I loved it!\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Christopher Golden, \n\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \n\u003cem\u003eRoad of Bones\u003c\/em\u003e and \n\u003cem\u003eCarry Me to My Grave\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"So deliciously written, you'll be immediately engrossed.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e-- \n\u003cem\u003eReactor\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Atmospheric and disorienting, Baker's ambitious follow-up to \n\u003cem\u003eBat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng\u003c\/em\u003e blends historical horror with Japanese folklore, incorporating elements from the legend of Urashima Tarō to deliver a violent and thought-provoking tale of grief, generational trauma, and colonialism. Fans of Alma Katsu's \n\u003cem\u003eThe Fervor\u003c\/em\u003e will want to pick this up.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e-- \n\u003cem\u003eBooklist\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Perhaps surprisingly, given the rest of the book's contents, it's the moments of tenderness between characters that have the biggest impact. Such moments are warm and generous, brighter for the horrors elsewhere, and they keep \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e from ever feeling bleak, despite its characters' bleak circumstances. If violence sours the soul, these moments seem to suggest that kindness can preserve it.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--ArtsATL \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A lush, unsettling triumph, one that understands horror as something felt as much as seen.... There's a steady escalation to the stakes, emotional and supernatural, as the storylines begin to converge. By the end, \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e delivers a haunting, cohesive tale.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e-- \n\u003cem\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Baker has not only created two vivid and unusual protagonists, but also a mood of unease and mystery that puts both her characters and her reader on edge throughout \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Morgan Leigh Davies, \n\u003cem\u003eCrimeReads\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Baker has shown herself to be an author with the confidence and dexterity to carry a variety of story lines and ideas without stumbling; \n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e displays an elegant layering of character motivations, psychologies and motifs.... As strange similarities echo across Sen and Lee's timelines, the truth emerges, jagged and harsh, yet cathartic. What connects these two characters is something deeper than romance and more tragic than death.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e--Emily C. Hughes, \n\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Baker's excellent character development will have readers invested early and grounds the constantly twisting plot \n\u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eJapanese Gothic\u003c\/em\u003e is a ghostly, gory ride.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e-- \n\u003cem\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eUSA TODAY\u003c\/em\u003e Bestseller\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e Most Anticipated Book for 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eUSA TODAY\u003c\/em\u003e Most Anticipated Books of 2026\u003cbr\u003eGoodreads Readers' Most Anticipated Books of 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBook Riot \"Our Most Anticipated Books of 2026\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the critically acclaimed, \u003cem\u003eUSA TODAY \u003c\/em\u003ebestselling, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/em\u003eTop 100 (2025) author of \u003cem\u003eBat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng\u003c\/em\u003e and\u003cem\u003e Hell to Pay\u003c\/em\u003e, a lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, following two people living centuries apart who discover a door between their worlds.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOctober, 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e: Lee Turner doesn't remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge--his father's new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls. \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOctober, 1877\u003c\/strong\u003e: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father's face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window. \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eOne of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie. \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eSomething is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it. \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFor readers who love: \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrady Hendrix and Stephen King\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJapanese mytholog\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ey\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFriendship and family themes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTerrifying, gory stories\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHorror with heart\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA new take on the classic haunted house trope\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 02\/02\/2026 (EAN 9781335001559, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/01\/2026 (EAN 9781335001559, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 01\/01\/2026 pg. 44 (EAN 9781335001559, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/span\u003e 12\/30\/0001 (EAN 9781335001559, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eBaker, Kylie Lee\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eKylie Lee Baker\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of young adult and adult novels. Her writing is informed by her heritage (Japanese, Chinese, and Irish) and her experiences living abroad. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing and Spanish and an M.S. in Library and Information Science. Visit her online at www.kylieleebaker.com.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Hanover Square Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496272724246,"sku":"9781335001559","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781335001559.jpg?v=1783058811","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/japanese-gothic-a-folk-horror-novel-of-japanese-mythology-murder-and-family-duty-across-two-timelines-original","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}