Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng

About this book

New York Times 100 Notable Books for 20252025 Shirley Jackson Award for Best NovelGoodreads Choice Award Finalist for HorrorUSA TODAY Best Books of 2025Library Journal Best Books of 2025Spotify Best Horror Books of 2025Kobo Best Horror Books of 2025Book Riot Best Books of 2025Los Angeles Public Library Best Fiction of 2025Google Play Best Horror Novel of 2025"A compelling, gory, ghostly romp."—Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie"This is what it felt like to live in New York City during lockdown: haunted, absurd, terrifying, ridiculous, and full of hungry ghosts."—Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted HouseIn this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.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.For fans of Stephen Graham Jones and Gretchen Felker-Martin, Bat Ea