Where the Wild Ladies Are Summary
Aoko Matsuda

Where the Wild Ladies Are Overview

In her collection Where the Wild Ladies Are, Aoko Matsuda inventively retells a series of traditional Japanese yōkai tales and ghost stories. By employing colloquial language and contemporary pop culture references, Matsuda blurs modern reality with a fantastic legendary realm. Throughout the collection, whether Matsuda's characters live as ghosts or are visited by them, their experiences with the supernatural disrupt their existential states. The short stories in the collection explore themes including, agency, powerlessness, and contentment, often in the context of gender roles.