A review by probablyjenna
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng: A Novel by Kylie Lee Baker

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Cora Zeng is going through it. The setting is NYC, peak COVID-19 pandemic. She lives with her older sister, who she idolizes yet seems to also resent. She seems to struggle with a mixture of anxiety and depression, though it’s hard at first to tell exactly what’s going on with her. And then, right in chapter 1, her sister is murdered right in front of her in what appears to be a hate crime.

I absolutely loved this book and the layers it contained. Cora’s loneliness and grief are so deeply explored, and the backdrop of the pandemic was such a powerful plot device. Cora is not only dealing with the death of her sister, a worldwide pandemic, but also the extreme xenophobia & racism that made itself abundantly clear during that time period. Cora, a biracial Asian-American who is not close with either parent, grew up caught between the two worlds of her identities, and she spends much of the book trying to connect with each side.

So there is all of that, which on its own would make for a strong book…but this is also a really well done, legitimately scary ghost story. I’ve never read a haunting like this one, and there are some truly terrifying scenes.

This is a fantastic book with a lot of depth. Highly recommend if you like light horror with purpose.