After LOVING Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng a few weeks ago, I was so ready to love Japanese Gothic. Unfortunately, I found it very disappointing.

One of the highlights of Bat Eater for me was the sharp, fully realized existence of its protagonist, Cora. The narrative is only bolstered, the themes are only made stronger by her unique voice and her constant battles with her obsessive compulsions. I cannot say the same for Japanese Gothic. I didn't find myself caring for either Lee or Sen at all.

Lee's narrative voice doesn't ring with the same truth that Cora's did for me. There's a clear purpose for why his narration reads this way, but it really didn't work. The gaps in his memory felt so obviously obfuscating to the point of annoyance. I think there are ways to write a character experiencing a break in reality without making it obvious that it's being done to withhold pertinent information from the reader, and this book did not succeed at it. Rather than creating intrigue and a desire to learn the truth, it just felt frustrating, like things were being dangled purposefully just out of reach. Clearly it worked to some extent, because I finished the book instead of DNFing, but I can't say I'm glad that I didn't put it down.

I also had issues with Sen, but her POV at least didn't contain any blatantly obvious and frustrating narrative devices. I just found her dull. I think she could have been a much stronger character if we'd had more meaningful interactions between her and her family outside of her father, or more interactions between her and Youna. I also felt like her and Lee's relationship progressed in a way that made very little sense. Like with so many other things in this book, it felt very convenient.

I think that's my main issue with this book: it all feels so obviously orchestrated. Nothing feels organic. I don't think every book like this needs to be able to be "solved" by the reader, but the explanation this book provides is so far out of left field that it actually made me mad LOL. I want the explanation to be something that's given to me and I kick myself for not figuring it out sooner. This book handed me an explanation that was so needlessly convoluted that it retroactively made the entire book more frustrating than it already was. I was actively rolling my eyes for the last 30 pages.

Clearly I'm in the minority with my opinions on this book, though. A lot of people are loving this, and if you're a reader who can just sit back and enjoy the ride, you'll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did. Unfortunately, I felt like I was actively fighting this book every step of the way, and by the time I finished it, I was left frustrated and disappointed.

1.75/5.