The Night of Baba Yaga

Starred review from April 22, 2024
A young woman falls in love with a crime boss’s daughter in Otani’s gripping English-language debut. In 1979 Tokyo, 22-year-old Yoriko Shindo is kidnapped by yakuza boss Genzo Naiki. He offers her a deal: if she agrees to be the bodyguard and chauffeur for his teenage daughter, Shoko, he’ll let her live. The sheltered and aloof Shokoinitially shows no interest in Shindo, but they slowly develop a connection as the only women in their testosterone-fueled world. When a smitten Shindo learns more about Shoko's troubles—her mother’s mysterious disappearance, her upcoming arranged marriage to a sadistic yakuza enforcer—she resolves to help set the teenager free. In a Thelma & Louise–style act of desperation, the pair goes on the run, both knowing full well that they won’t be able to evade Naiki and his henchmen for long. Otani’s artful, staccato sentences, deftly translated by Bett, draw readers in, and an unexpected time-jump midway through the novel gives it an ingenious jolt of life. This tender yet furious crime saga will leave readers hungry for more from Otani soon. Agent: Naomi Mizuno, Tuttle-Mori Agency.

Starred review from May 15, 2024
During her childhood in northern Japan, Shindo's grandmother entertained her with stories of Baba Yaga's revenge and rescues while her grandfather trained her to fight. Now in Tokyo, Shindo lives an anonymous existence, delivering flowers and indulging her violent compulsions with street brawls. She catches the yakuza's attention, and, after taking down dozens of yakuza soldiers, she's finally subdued. Yakuza boss Naiki issues an ultimatum: she'll guard his daughter, or else. Shindo agrees, but she's unprepared for the girl's strange situation. Naiki forces Shoko to wear the clothes that her mother left behind when she ran away with his lieutenant, and she follows a relentless schedule of lessons to make her a suitable wife for Naiki's yakuza pal, Utagawa. As Shindo and Shoko form an unlikely bond, Shindo recognizes that Naiki's repulsive fixation on his daughter and Utagawa's sadistic tendencies spell Shoko's destruction. From there, Shindo's survival plan shifts the narrative, merging Shindo and Shoko's fates with Shoko's mother's escape. The violence in Otani's English-language debut is graphic and jarring. but thoughtfully crafted to highlight Shindo's emerging humanity and path to redeeming purpose. Circular plotting, clear villainy, and primal motives evoke the Brothers Grimm's warning tales; this literary genre-bender will appeal to readers who favor fairy-tale adaptations, vigilante-justice thrillers, and queer crime fiction.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from June 14, 2024

Otani's English-language debut transports readers to 1970s Japan, where Yoriko Shindo, an outcast from Hokkaido, has mastered the art of fighting through her grandfather's teachings. Shindo, kidnapped and brought to the compound of Genzo Naiki, learns she either works for him or she dies--and in the Yakuza, death is neither swift nor merciful. Her job: act as bodyguard to Naiki's only daughter Shoko as the girl begins to attend junior college. Shoko regards Shindo with contempt, insulting her humble country origins and tossing out orders. As time passes, Shindo discovers that Shoko is far from a pampered princess. Surrounded by constant violence where life is cheap, Shindo realizes that she cares as much about Shoko's survival as her own. Otani paints a vivid, unsettling picture of the violent world of the Yakuza. The story jumps in time without warning and readers will need to pay attention to the changes, which become clear at the end. VERDICT A mashup of crime thriller and queer romance, this fascinating fairy tale retelling has a decidedly un-fairytale-like ending but showcases the power of two very different women who risk everything to be free.--Julie Ciccarelli

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.