Japanese Gothic is a gorgeously grotesque ghost story

I’ll give the usual caveat: The horror novel Japanese Gothic is best experienced going in with as little information as possible. Content warnings for graphic gore, scenes of domestic violence, self-harm, and mental illness. If you’re okay with that, then consider pausing here. While I will try to keep this relatively spoiler-free, there will be some plot points I can’t avoid.

Kylie Lee Baker’s latest novel, following her acclaimed Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, is sort of a ghost story and sort of a time travel story. It follows two protagonists.

Lee Turner is an NYU student in 2026 who has fled to Japan to stay with his father after murdering his roommate. He can’t quite remember why he did it, or where he stashed the body, partially because Lee stumbles through life in a haze of sedatives ranging from Benadryl to Ativan.

Jumping back...

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