Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker is a dark and gruesome horror story set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Baker blends real-life horrors of pandemic life with spine-chilling ghostly encounters to deliver an unsettling and unforgettable novel.
Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that seems so terrible when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train. Before fleeing the scene, the murderer shouted two words: bat eater.
So the bloody messes don’t really bother Cora–she’s more bothered by the germs on the subway railing, the bare hands of a stranger, the hidden viruses in every corner, and the bite marks on her coffee table. Of course, ever since Delilah was killed in front of her, Cora can’t be sure what’s real and what’s in her head.
She pushes away all feelings and ignores the advice of her aunt to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. But she can’t ignore the dread in her stomach as she keeps finding bat carcasses at crime scenes, or the scary fact that all her recent cleanups have been the bodies of East Asian women.
As Cora will soon learn, you can’t just ignore hungry ghosts.
Set against chaotic backdrop of 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is chilling and deeply resonant. By weaving together real-life issues–from the horrors of the pandemic to the systemic discrimination and acts of hate that took place during this time–Kylie Lee Baker crafts a novel that is gripping and truly thought-provoking. The mix of fictional horrors and unsettling truths made for a novel I had a hard time putting down.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is bloody, suspenseful, and packed with an unrelenting sense of grief, standing out as much more than a straight forward horror story. This novel touches on heavy topics including racism, pandemic-fueled hate crimes, sexism, trauma, and systemic violence. While the ghostly supernatural elements kept me on edge, its the deeply human topics that added much more to the story. It’s a raw and emotional ride that also scare you half to death. Diving deep into those other topics allows this book to potentially reach readers outside the horror genre–if they are willing to deal with the ghostly ride.
Heaving now read a few novels and comics set during the pandemic, I’ve noticed how often some merely scratch the surface of its impact. But Baker takes things a bit further, using the pandemic as a lens to highlight the profound horrors faced by marginalized communities. While the hate crimes in this story stand independently of the COVID-19 setting, tying them to this global crisis added weight and urgency to the tale. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng touches your heart while also making it jump from your body.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is an unsettling and at times uneasy horror novel. Kylie Lee Baker blends ghostly terrors with the very real horrors of loss, the pandemic, systemic violence, and discrimination to craft a story that pushes the conventions of horror novels. More than just a book filled with scares, this novel has heart, depth, and meaning. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng transcends the horror genre in ways I never expected and was glad I dove in.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is available at bookstores everywhere from Mira Books. The audiobook, narrated by Natalie Naudus, is available at Libro.fm!
