Welcome friend! It’s been a while since I have posted a book discussion on the blog. Let’s continue the tradition of buddy read discussions with Ariel and talk about a book whose author we love: Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. Here is what the book is about:
Kylie Lee Baker | Goodreads
In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.
October, 2026: 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.
October, 1877: 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.
One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.
Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.
Japanese Gothic – Discussion
Kriti: Kylie Lee Baker is a go-to author for us and after reading Bat Eater and other Names for Cora Zheng, I was a little hesitant about picking another horror. Thankfully, Japanese Gothic is not as gory or heavy as Bat Eater and though Kylie’s obsession with dead bodies and rot continues to be a part of the story, I ended up enjoying the book. By the time I finished, I liked it very much. Ariel, how did Japanese Gothic compare in tone and intensity to Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zheng?
Ariel: Yes, I agree the gore did carry over into Japanese Gothic but not at the same level as Bat Eater! It’s hard to compare them fully since they are such different stories; but I found that Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zheng was more meaningful and had greater impact on me as a reader. However, I did enjoy the twists and turns of Japanese Gothic, and I especially liked Kylie’s author’s note at the end talking about the themes of generations and the layers of history within them.
Lee’s story – 2026
Japanese Gothic is set in two years. In 2026, Lee Turner’s father buys the house. Lee is addicted to various drugs. His mother disappeared when he was a preteen and that has left a big hole in his life. He has a keen sense about people and their emotions and knows how much his father wishes he was someone else. He has been involved in an accident with his roommate but can’t remember what happened and why he did what he did. All he knows is that his roommate is dead.
Lee is an unreliable narrator. I found him to be obsessive and boring and while it might seem like an unengaging aspect of the story, he would agree that is exactly who he is. He thinks he is going insane, on the edge about what will happen when the police find out what he has done, and still a part of him wants to find what happened to his mom. When he comes across Sen on the other side of his closet, he finally gains confirmation that he is not mad. That the world is bigger than it seems and he has been right to always know that. But more importantly, he finds someone who sees him for who he is.
I agree, Lee was the most unreliable of narrators! I found that while he was deeply unlikeable all throughout, it just shows how skilled of a writer Kylie is to make someone so offputting yet so compelling. While I didn’t personally like him, I could definitely see that it was clear he was struggling with grief and processing reality. I didn’t think he was difficult to connect with per se, but rather an uncomfortable narrative to sit alongside. It becomes clear he cares deeply for his mother and that is his motivating force and it added a lot of depth to the story and to his character POV. He was a perfect counterpart for Sen’s story, and I liked how their stories each helped the other be stronger.
Sen’s story – 1877
In 1877, Sen’s family lived in the same house. Her father is the last surviving samurai, trying to stay alive in a regime that has eradicated them. He has changed. Sen lives under his shadow but no longer like the man he has become. He trained her to be a samurai and she lives by those principles. She is an obedient daughter who has seen her parents make terrible decisions to survive. She has killed to save herself from being killed. She has done all she can to be worthy of her father.
When she comes across Lee, she believes him to be a spirit. But the more they interact, the more she believes that with his help she can save her family.
Sen is fierce and unafraid. Both her and Lee are smart individuals and want to help each other to their best capacity.
Sen’s character was very interesting to me, and I found her to be an exciting POV from start to finish. She is also dealing with grief and a shifting reality like Lee is, and I found it very well written to see these different lives find such commonalities with each other. Sen and Lee both have terrible fathers in their own regard, but Sen’s relationship with her father is awful and abusive from the start. He puts every expectation on her to continue his legacy and she finds herself crushed by the weight of those expectations. Seeing the generational and technological differences between the two characters was a fascinating part of the story; especially when Sen experienced the modern world when she crossed over and started exploring the town with Lee.
The mystery of the house
The sea by the house draws both Sen and Lee to it and there is a reason why. It is so well done! It beautifully entangles the mystery of how Sen and Lee are connected through a closet door.
Having the mystery come together at the end was incredibly satisfying. Their connection to the sea, the closet in the house, and each other all fitted together so nicely and I thought the final reveal was the best part of the book!
History, identity, and tradition
Kylie has a knack for writing well thought out characters and not shying away from people, tropes and topics that stories can shy away from. In Japanese Gothic, she touches on the tumulus history of Japan and the samurai. Her author’s note gives insight into Lee and Sen and how colonization muddles identities.
Sen’s family is strict and traditional though by the time the story takes place, the age of the samurai is long over. Japanese Gothic is in part the story of “generation clinging to past traditions”, Sen’s father being the one holding on to his old ways and forcing his family to comply.
What did you think about the theme of clinging to tradition versus adapting to change?
Both Sen and Lee are grappling with deep interpersonal change within their families and themselves. They each find common ground with each other as they are both navigating their fathers’ expectations of them and not feeling like they are who their fathers want them to be. Both fathers are not good at parenting in the slightest, and each of them break that trust in different but equally hurtful ways. I really appreciated the author’s note and how that reinforced the themes I was noticing while reading. Neither Lee or Sen could choose their families, timelines, or house of residence, but they were able to find connection and find meaning in their own identities.
Folklore and mythology
Sprinkled between Lee and Sen’s perspectives is the story of Urashima Taro. This is a Japanese legend about a young fisherman who saves a turtle and travels to their beautiful underwater kingdom. He doesn’t stay there long but on his return to his village, finds it quite changed.
I had a storybook about this growing up and Japanese Gothic brought back memories of that tale. I always find it interesting to revisit things from decades ago.
I had never heard the story about the fisherman and the turtle, but I loved hearing it interspersed between Lee and Sen’s POVs. The legend added an extra layer of a deeper heritage between both characters that connected them and the story resonates with both characters’ arcs.
If you had to describe Japanese Gothic in three words to someone considering reading it, what would they be? (This will help our 2026 buddy read wrap up ;))
Mysterious, Unreliable Narrator, Gripping
At this point, after over two years of discussing and buddy reading her books, I think we can safely call ourselves top fans of Kylie Lee Baker’s writing, and this book was no exception. It was wonderful to dive back into her talented writing, and I’m excited to see what other books she has in store for us!
Thanks for joining us for this book discussion. Let us know if you have read Japanese Gothic yet! Our thoughts on Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zheng can be read here.
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