A pastoral ghost story set in Japan, The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn by Amber Logan is a tale of transformation. As a fan of the classic, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the thought of a retelling of the story intrigued me. I was not disappointed. Subtle ties to the original such as Mari Lennox stepping into the shoes of the protagonist and replacing the child Mary Lennox of the original are cleverly deposited throughout. While it is a fully new story, it is jam-packed with elements only fans of the classic will recognize, and it delivers the same compelling sense of mystery with a theme of emotional healing. Those who haven’t read the original will thoroughly enjoy this story of restoration as well. Logan's retelling draws readers deeper with each inkling, suspicion, or clue until they are immersed into the story told from Mari's perspective. ]
About The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn
Amber Logan’s protagonist is a middle-aged woman traumatized by grief, loss, and guilt. After being offered a grant to photograph Yanagi Inn for a client, her sister talks her into returning to Japan where she lived until age 10. She arrives at the sprawling Yanagi Inn to find it neglected and in need of refurbishment, much like Misselthwaite Manor of the original version, but this story sweeps the reader into Asian culture giving the tale a whole new flavor.
Una, a young Asian woman, brings meals to Mari’s room and straightens things while she is out. She becomes a friend and confidant. Much like Martha in the classic, Una’s surprising personality doesn’t fit Mari's preconceived assumptions. The younger woman brings a refreshing vitality to the declining inn, and she stands in contrast to the older, dour antagonist Okura.
When Mari takes her camera outside, she finds the gardens forsaken, run-down, and overgrown, but as she snaps pictures, she sees what was and the potential of what could be again. When a crane catches her attention, she follows it. It disappears across the pond to an island with no way to cross. When she talks to Una, she learns the island is off-limits, with no explanation.
When Mari hears weeping of a child in the night, she is compelled to find the source. She steps out of the familiarity of her room into “the inky darkness […] so complete I felt I could touch it and come away with my fingertips blackened. I kept one palm on the right wall and my bare feet shuffling along the cold wooden floor to keep from tripping over unseen objects.”
The narrative unwinds slowly like following a thread through a dark passage in search of a dropped ball of yarn. What she finds propelled me into an interactive experience as clues invited me to join in the suspense and mystery within the corridors and gardens of Yanagi Inn. Mari’s thoughts say it best. “Maybe I should just leave. I could sense two diverging paths in front of me: one in which I fled the inn and left all the mysteries behind, and one in which I stayed and saw both my duties and my curiosity through to the very end, no matter how unsettling the results.”
Book review of The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn
I recommend The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn to fans of the classic version of The Secret Garden, and to those who enjoy mysteries, ghost stories, and Asian themes. While some may think the pacing slow, I thought it perfect and in keeping with the tempo of the original story. It is delightfully symbolic. A story of rebirth for the inn and the woman searching for meaning within its corridors. Mari arrives filled with grief, anxiety and loss of direction following the death of her mother. It’s a tale of growth; from isolation to friendship, a renewed love of nature, and the re-emergence of curiosity as she wonders about the island that’s been off limits for decades. I give this book a strong four stars.
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About Author Amber Logan
Amber A. Logan is a university instructor, freelance editor, and author of speculative fiction living in Kansas with her husband and two children—Fox and Willow. In addition to her degrees in Psychology, Liberal Arts, and International Relations, Amber holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.
When she’s not writing, Amber enjoys trips to Japan, exploring unusual vegetarian foods, and reading Haruki Murakami.
Amber’s debut novel is THE SECRET GARDEN OF YANAGI INN - out late 2022.
