The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn
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An adult retelling of the classic children’s book The Secret Garden about an American woman who, while grieving her mother’s death, travels to Japan to photograph a dilapidated inn only to find herself mysteriously tied to the inn’s haunted past.
Description
“The gradual but compelling unraveling of this family mystery captivated me.” —Naomi Hirahara, Edgar Award-winning author of Hiroshima Boy and Clark and Division
“This book is a true delight to the senses!” —Keri Wilt, speaker, historian, and great-great-granddaughter of Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden
A Modern Gothic Retelling of The Secret Garden.
Still grieving her mother’s death, American photographer Mari Lennox is sent to document Yanagi Inn, an old, dilapidated ryokan outside Kyoto, Japan. By day, Mari explores the inn and its grounds, taking striking photographs and uncovering layers of mystery shrouding the old resort—including an overgrown, secret garden on a forbidden island. At night, eerie weeping (which no one else seems to hear) keeps her awake.
Despite the warnings of the staff, Mari searches for the source of the ghostly sound—and discovers a devastating secret tying her family’s history to the inn, and its mysterious, forlorn garden.
For readers who enjoy The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and The Haunting of Brynn Wilder: A Novel by Wendy Webb.
Awards
- Winner, IPPY Bronze Award - Audiobook 2023
Reviews
“A lovely re-imagining of a classic tale. Amber Logan transforms the story of The Secret Garden into something new and fresh, yet still utterly timeless.” —A.C. Wise, author of Wendy, Darling and The Ghost Sequences
“Evoking Burnett and du Maurier in equal parts, in a setting dense with the distinctive native flora and fauna of Japan—including a delightful blueberry-eating tanuki—this novel is wholly original, and both modern and timeless. We should all celebrate this introduction to the lush and fecund imagination of a remarkable talent.” —Suzanne Kamata, author of The Baseball Widow
“Lyrical and haunting, The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn is a luminous retelling of a classic tale, made modern through the lens of Logan’s intrepid American heroine. A story of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of grief. Beautifully moving and inspired.” —Paulette Kennedy, author of Parting the Veil and The Witch of Tin Mountain
“The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn is a puzzle box of buried memories, grief, and the love between mothers and daughters. Amber Logan's poignant update of The Secret Garden sits within the legacy of garden literature that explores the unbreakable link that connects people, place, and time.” —Tiffani Angus, author of Threading the Labyrinth
“Logan is a master of atmosphere and texture. The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn is a haunting tale of grief and enchantment that will linger in your mind long after reading. Perfect for readers of Neil Gaiman and Genevieve Valentine.” —Helen Marshall, author of The Migration
“My favorite things—escape to Japan, an island within an island, mother-daughter relationships, and a mysterious garden—can be found in Amber A. Logan’s debut novel, The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn. The gradual but compelling unraveling of this family mystery captivated me. Heartfelt celebration of female friendship across the Pacific!” —Naomi Hirahara, Edgar Award-winning author of Hiroshima Boy and Clark and Division
“The prose, rich in detail of Mari’s feelings and experiences, builds the atmosphere with slow precision.”—Rebecca Otowa, author of At Home in Japan: A Foreign Woman’s Journey of Discovery