On the occasion of the first list from Yen Press's new Avocado House imprint, we spoke to publisher JuYoun Lee about the exciting titles on the horizon, genre focus, and the continuing importance and appeal of bringing international authors to American readers.

How does Avocado House both continue and expand upon the legacy of Yen Press and Yen On?

Yen has always been proud of its diverse list—we launched not just with Japanese manga but Korean manhwa and even adaptations of popular U.S. novels. That same spirit carried into Yen On, the first dedicated imprint for light novels in the English market where most had written them off. Avocado House is simply staying true to who we are: we want to keep bringing worldview-broadening stories to our readers.

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Acupuncturist Nayuta Kudo treats patients from all walks of life, but many have problems that go deeper than skin and muscle. Although these issues are beyond his power to help, the same can’t be said of Madoka Uhara, whose ability to predict physical phenomena gives people hope by solving seemingly impossible mysteries. When Nayuta’s path intersects with the young girl’s, he watches incredulously as she reads the wind to give a struggling ski jumper the boost he needs to win in front of his family. They meet a second time when Madoka helps a young baseballer learn to catch a magic pitch, and a third when Nayuta’s old high school teacher is desperately searching for answers about his son’s accident. Madoka asks Nayuta to introduce her to a genius musician, and they find themselves working together to solve the death of the man’s partner. But for a girl who can predict the impossible, are all of these encounters really coincidence?

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Deep in the Japanese mountains, Akane Kuriya begins a new job as a live-in caregiver. She moves into a sprawling, ominous mansion and meets her charge—Kiwako Miyazono, a woman she swears is already dead. Kiwako has a mysterious disease rendering her bedridden, paralyzed, and coloring her skin a ghastly bluish-green. Strangest of all, she’s required to wear a black bag over her head at all times. Akane soon learns things are not quite as they seem, and the more she uncovers, the more she questions who she can trust. Backed into a corner, Akane realizes there’s only one person with the answers she seeks: Kiwako herself.

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On March 10, 2018, a corpse belonging to 58-year-old single mother Taeko Takasaki is found on a riverbank in Shiga Prefecture. Her body is mutilated beyond recognition, with her head, arms, and legs all severed, and investigators quickly home in on her 31-year-old daughter, Akari, as the prime suspect. Details about their relationship slowly come to light, painting a picture of a daughter pushed to the brink by a physically and emotionally abusive mother in desperate need for control, culminating in a horrific crime described by Akari in two simple sentences: “The monster is dead. Now I am free.” What compelled this seemingly ordinary student to go down a road that would eventually lead to her stabbing her own mother to death? This question drove one court reporter to pursue a lengthy correspondence with Akari in order to uncover the tragic true story behind the murder.

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Why wait for the books to arrive? Dive into three excerpts from Avocado House’s forthcoming titles—1,000 Words Left to Live, Laplace’s Witch, and Sickness Unto Love—and get a head start on your next great read.

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Keigo Higashino leaves a remarkable literary legacy. His more than 100 books, written across four decades, reached audiences far beyond Japan. A true master of mystery and suspense, Higashino touched millions of readers around the world with incredible books like The Devotion of Suspect X, Malice, and The Miracles of the Namiya General Store. As Avocado House prepares to publish more of his work in English, we invite readers to return to the stories that made Higashino an enduring presence in contemporary literature.

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Having lost his savings and his home thanks to his abusive mother, Takahiro stumbles upon a job listing for a live-in position managing a single unit in an apartment complex. There’s just one requirement: “You must get along with your neighbor.” With nowhere else to go, Takahiro decides to take the offer—only to discover that this neighbor is far from human. Twenty-three previous tenants have already fled the arrangement, but the job seems to consist of little more than listening to ghost stories from across the balcony. But as Takahiro walks the tightrope of maintaining this high-stakes “friendship,” the contents of these creepy, ostensibly fictional stories gradually begin to intertwine with his life in reality...

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The Place of the Flamingo opens with a scene where a man disposes of a body in a lake. The prologue begins with the sentence "The lake swallowed Dahyun's body" and ends with "But who killed Dahyun?" Just these lines are enough to spark the reader's curiosity.

Author Jeong Haeyeon's strength lies in crafting settings and storylines that anyone would find intriguing. The Place of the Flamingo is a work in which this strength reaches its peak. Starting with the prologue, the book is composed of 21 chapters, each revealing surprising developments and demonstrating outstanding storytelling.

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Freelance editor Kobayashi tries to publish a book for a YouTuber known for exploring haunted spots. To get the book published, he needs more channel subscribers. Instead, he decides to revisit past locations, fabricating engaging theories for readers based on online research. One spot, rumored to store voyeuristic photos, is found to have a different purpose. Also, a photo in a video is linked to a woman's suicide, prompting further investigation...

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Want to speak the same language as all the latest translations and titles from Avocado House? Follow the imprint from Yen Press on Instagram, Facebook, and X for highlights from Avocado House’s first list and upcoming titles for readers seeking exceptional and inclusive literature from around the world.

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Avocado House is dedicated to translating and curating a library of exceptional and inclusive literature from around the world.

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