Laurie Nguyen
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, by Kylie Lee Baker, is a magnificently gory depiction of what it means to fight for your existence in America.
The Summary
Cora Zeng mourns the death of her sister, Delilah Zeng. All that is left of her is a memory and an emptiness that Cora can’t rid herself of. Longing for another co-dependent relationship to latch onto, Cora finds herself at a standstill, aimlessly searching for meaning. The only thing that catches her attention is a series of horrific murders targeting Asian women. Tying the altogether is a string of equally grisly bat murders. During the month of the hungry ghosts, Cora is faced with a dark entity, forcing her down a rabbit hole where sometimes, the scariest things aren’t hiding in the dark.
Myth of the Model Minority
Asian Americans have suffered under the model minority for centuries. Many like to think that White America will accept because of all their hard work, but that’s not true. Whenever racism perpetuates hate crimes, systemic oppression, and economic inequality, white supremacists will point to the Asian American community and scream, “They’re able to do it! They’re able to succeed! Why can’t you?”
But then we’re silenced when we stray from the norm. When we talk about mental health, we’re the enemy. Any time we mess up, suddenly, we need to go back to our countries. They love our labor, but the moment we rest, we’re demons. This was true during the COVID-19 pandemic, where anti-Asian sentiment negatively impacted Asian employment statistics.
An Eye-For-An-Eye
Unfortunately, Baker explores America’s exploitation of Asian women. At worst, Asian women are demeaned for dating inside and outside their race. They are subjected to different stereotypes that many “traditional” women don’t want to follow. They are the butt of the jokes for passport bros, that, unfortunately, won’t be going away any time soon. Because of this, it’s nice for someone to explore their violent tendencies when defending themselves.
A Stark Depiction of Anti-Asian Hate
Readers can follow Cora’s misadventure as she delivers a malevolent justice on behalf of Asian women. Asian hate affects all of us, regardless of which countries our parents are from or which wars we’ve fought. It’s something that Cora so poignantly shows us in the midst of her dark humor.
