Book Review: The Night of Baba Yaga

Written by Japanese author Akira Otani and translated into English by translator Sam Bett, The Night of Baba Yaga is a tale of violence against oppressive tradition.  It’s a story built to reflect the systemic sexism that defines the gritty world of the Yakuza syndicate in Japan with how it treats women as objects to be owned rather than people to be cherished and respected.  It seeks to dive into this dark environment with a bold and unapologetic disruptor though it’s central characters and the intimate relationship both of these women develop over the course of the story.

Set in Tokyo in the late nineteen seventies, our central character Yoriko Shindo is thrust immediately into an uncomfortable situation when she is beat up and kidnapped by the Naiki-kai, a branch of the Yakuza.  All of her life Shindo has developed a reputation for being different to other typical women of Japan, with a more physical build and an open approach to violence when the need arises.  It’s because of this nefarious reputation that Shindo is brought to the boss of the gang and is forced to serve as a bodyguard for his heavily-sheltered daughter; Shoko Naiki.  As the story progresses, we see the stark difference both Shindo and Shoko share in their approach to life, yet the similarities they soon find between themselves as they get to know each other better.  With Shoko destined to marry a horrible and grotesque leader of an associated Yakuza clan, Shindo must face the reality of her developing feelings for Shoko and question whether she is capable of defying her deadly employers demands in hopes of saving Shoko from a lifetime of misery.

The foundation behind this story is compelling, I won’t take anything away from Akira Otani in this respect.  When it comes to your standard Yakuza-centric stories, the women aren’t often the focus sadly.  I like that Otani not only puts a spotlight on the women in these situations, but she goes even further by making them the central anchor of the story and using it to turn these conventions on their head.  That ambition doesn’t really translate into the genuine quality of the story for me though.  While set up remarkably well, the depth behind this story is notably lacking on a number of fronts.  No one is anything besides the simple characterizations they are presented with and that to me is a real shame. Shindo and Shoko’s relationship isn’t really given all that much room to develop from its initial stages to the Thelma and Louise duo they soon become, it just feels a bit rushed.  I take extra issue with how poorly implemented a lot of the sexual abuse stuff is in this story as well.  I don’t doubt this stuff is prevalent in that dark crime-ridden world, but it doesn’t serve any higher purpose here and just feels implemented for shock value.

In terms of tone and pacing, it’s hard not to feel the short page count contributes to the often-rushed pacing of this book.  As the story chooses to develop through the lens of several characters, it is even more notable how things escalate at the authors requirement as apposed to the natural order of the story.  I think the tone also struggles to balance itself throughout the course of the story too.  I think the intimate moments between Shindo and Shoko are excellent, but every moment you feel drawn into their dialogue, the Yakuza stuff comes into play once again and it goes back to being nothing but oppressive.  Again, I get that the Yakuza is likely not a nice and friendly place, but it feels often overplayed in just how cartoonishly evil these people can get.

The Night of Baba Yaga is a solid premise whish loses all of it’s appeal the more and more you get into its story.  I think Akira Otani tries her best to present the idea of this story, but she isn’t really able to flesh it out and layer it with a sense of maturity or nuance.  It tries to be too much all at once and in turn it ends up feeling shallow because of it. It’s not a terrible story, but ultimately, it does come off as underwhelming.