Japanese Gothic

At the center of Baker’s second adult novel (after Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng) is the house of sword ferns, hidden off the main road in a small Japanese town, where Lee has fled after killing his NYU roommate in October of 2026. In October of 1877, Sen, the daughter of the last samurai, is also hiding (and training) as imperial guards seek to kill her family. When Lee discovers that he and Sen can cross into each other’s worlds, they find that their connection across the centuries may be more than just chance. As Lee and Sen share their thoughts and feelings, they realize they are both missing key details about their lives, and if they work together, they might be able to find the peace they are each desperately seeking. A spectacular, thought-provoking, and chilling story about how the past ties itself to the present in ways humans cannot comprehend or explain.