Hm I didn’t love this until I got to the very end. Loved the end. Think it was the perfect length to get me invested slightly in the characters. What a full circle ending.

Hunchback is a debut novella by Japanese author Saou Ichikawa. Ichikawa is a woman with a degenerative disease called Myotubular myopathy.

The main character of Hunchback is Shaka, a young woman with myotubular myopathy, a degenerative disease. Living in a care home, she spends her days posting provocative tweets, writing explicit erotica for secret accounts and insisting on living life on her terms. She considers herself an outsider, a "monstrous hunchback."

Ichikawa's darkly funny book can be challenging to read. The graphic snippets of erotica are often jarring, and the unconventional structure occasionally leaves readers uncertain about what's happening. The prose is direct and unflinching. While North American standards for accommodating people with disabilities still have room for improvement, Japanese standards appear to be even lower. As she describes it, in a country where people don't want to stand out, Japan works on the “basis [that] disabled people don’t exist.”

Award-winning and a smash hit in Japan, Hunchback is now available in English due to the great work of translator Polly Barton. It comes out on March 18, 2025. Thank you to #netgalley and Hogarth for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this look at a disabled woman in Japan and the limitations of her life, as well as her economic privilege after her parents left her with a care home and a significant amount of money. Her interest in academia and erotica were really interesting to read- I never would've considered the privilege of being able to hold a heavy book long enough to read it. Online spaces really do provide an outlet and a sense of community for those who are not typically accepted in society, and seeing that portrayed here was really nice (as well as the limits and dangers of being so honest online, and how nothing is truly anonymous). I also appreciated the look at how Japanese society handles disability compared to the West, particularly the US and France. The US has a lot of problems, but I recognize we are lucky to have things like the ADA- it does give some equity other countries don't have, though of course we have a long way to go in the US as well.

My only qualm is I didn't quite understand the ending. I went back to reread it and still am not sure I get it, but it is very thought-provoking even if I don't fully understand what happened/how it fit into the rest of the book.

Highly recommend this one.

HUNCHBACK by Saou Ichikawa paints a gruesome yet deeply human portrait of a disabled woman’s experience in ableist Tokyo. Shaka inherits an enviable bank account and spends her time collecting esoterica. But what she’s the most curious about lives in the recesses of her Twitter feed: prostitution, pregnancy, and abortion - all things that, seemingly, Shaka is incapable of experiencing, until a caretaker in her group home considers her call for a sperm donor. Clearly this is a novel that’s never been done before, and that’s mostly what I liked about it. However, the caliber of the first half (writing & plot) felt stronger than the latter half. It does offer a unique window into disability in Japanese society, though.

very strange and provocative lil book! a bit touching and thought-provoking, good insight into a life & set of circumstances that I know little about, from a unique perspective that kept me engaged. wasn't a fav, but enjoyed it enough!

thanks hogarth and netgalley for the advanced copy <3

I can imagine this book will create something of a stir, with its raunchy and shocking content, written from the point of view of a disabled woman.
As fiction, it’s very short, very explicit, sui generis and pretty provocative. There’s humor here, and an element of frankness, but it’s scarcely an enjoyable read. An eye- opener, in several senses.

Hunchback is a very peculiar read that I think some readers might find jarring. Through the main character's thoughts, we learn about her life as a student, her side hustle writing smut, and her "darker", possibly unconventional sexual fantasies. Despite being a short read, this book dives into topics of disability, society's perception / norms, desires, and the often lack of visibility / accommodations for persons with disabilities. Not sure if this book was for me but it was still interesting to read.

I have had this book on my radar for some time, and I was thrilled when I saw it pop up on NetGalley. Hogarth is one of my favorite imprints of all time, and I consistently find great reads from them - this is no exception!

It's not often that a narrative about disability, autonomy, and value society places on those with severe physical disabilities is called provocative. Perhaps because there is no better author than one who suffers from the same disorder themselves. Autofiction is a niche category, but you can FEEL it when you read it. It brings a level of sincerity that other fiction just can't quite grasp. I am in awe of the authors ability to illustrate the juxtaposition between her physical barriers and her vibrant inner world. This book opens a long-overdue conversation to talk about the way society is so eager to desexualize those with physical barriers, even when their mind is as sharp as anyone else's.

While some may find this book disjointed, or rambling, I think the stream-of-consciousness type of writing style is intentional. Her body may have limitations, but she's a gold-medal Olympian when it comes to creativity and storytelling. I really enjoyed this book and its willingness to press against the boundaries of our pre-conceived notions about disability and agency.

Such tangible descriptions, a window into an experience of life I am not familiar with. Both riveting and heartbreaking, I couldn’t put this book down and wished for more.

This was a great short story. It was about a person with a disability or a “not-normal” situation going through life and seeing all the societal expectations and judge mental people along the way. It makes you think a lot and opened my eyes to things I didn’t think about prior

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

"Hunchback" by Saou Ichikawa says so much more than I am able to articulate in its 112 pages. This semi-autobiographical novella is a brutal and beautiful confrontation of ableism asking the ageless question of what it means to be. This is a difficult book to read, but it's an extremely important one.

Ichikawa's writing is moving and poignant; full of language both lyrical and clinical. It was an honor to be brought into Ichikawa's world for a brief moment, and I feel this text will stay with me for a long time.

The ending, as often discussed with this title, is a bit confusing - as the whole novella is very clear as to what is happening up until that point. But I'd like to think of the ending as open to interpretation, and my interpretation of the ending is one of a sad hope.

Overall, I'm very thankful for this piece and am excited to purchase it upon release.

Thank you endlessly to NetGalley who gifted me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hunchback was a mixed bag for me. I was intrigued by the premise of a hunchbacked protagonist navigating a world filled with prejudice and societal expectations. The author's exploration of themes like isolation, resilience, and the search for acceptance was thought-provoking.

However, the narrative felt a bit slow-paced and repetitive at times. While I appreciated the author's attempt to delve into the protagonist's inner world, the lack of external action and plot development made it difficult to stay fully engaged. The ending, while somewhat poignant, left me wanting more closure and resolution.

Overall, Hunchback is a quiet and introspective novel that explores the complexities of the human experience. If you're looking for a fast-paced or action-packed story, this might not be the book for you. However, if you appreciate character-driven narratives and subtle explorations of social themes, you might find something to appreciate in this book.

Have to start off by saying, for such a short book, it is wild from start to finish. The opening was really clever and definitely threw me for a loop — I thought I had downloaded the wrong book at first. It was a great way to subvert readers expectations for what is to come, and also contribute to display the protagonists skewed relationship with sexuality. Speaking of sexuality, the story was an interesting insight into the ablest infantilization/de-sexing of people with disabilities; however, this being said, the writing did sometimes veer into overtly graphic sexual descriptions that would maybe make some readers uncomfortable. The book as a whole isn't very linear narrative, but rather more stream of consciousness or even a bunch of diary entries, and while I don't dislike that creative choice, for a book so short it make it seem a bit disjointed. Hunchback definitely pushes the boundaries of what a novel can be; I struggle to assign a starred rating to it. If you're looking for a read that is intriguing, thought-provoking, and a little gross in some places, this book is for you.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Hunchback by Ichikawa Saou is a first person dual-POV Japanese contemporary novel exploring disability and autonomy. Shaka has a congenital muscle disorder and lives in a group home that she also owns. When she tweets out her desire to get pregnant and choose whether or not to have the child, her new nurse answers the call.

This book is short but incredibly impactful. Through Shaka, we can see the daily struggles faced by someone with her condition that people who are able-bodied might not think about, such as the act of reading a physical book or taking a shower. The narration also delves into how frustrating it is for Shaka to not only have these experiences, but how the government is not actually making things easier for her.

The main thing that stuck out to me was Shaka calling out the Japanese publishing industry for making scans of books illegal despite how much it would improve the lives of readers. I had no idea the laws were that strict. It was definitely eye-opening and a very important thing that needed to be said.

I loved how the book opened. It was completely different from what I was expecting with a male POV at a swingers club and full of sexual agency. We so often desexualize the disabled and the neurodivergent so having Shaka not only write erotica but also opening her POV with an erotic scene she wrote is telling the reader that they are not allowed to desexualize her. It was a smart choice, it was a bold choice, and it definitely speaks to issues that we have in multiple societies on this front.

Content warning for discussions around sexual harassment, sexual assault, and abortion

I would recommend this to fans of Japanese literature who want more of a focus on social justice issues, readers looking for books from disabled authors exploring disability in unexpected ways, and those looking for their next short read that packs a powerful punch

Just an absolutely gut punching novella about ableism, class, and the politics of sexuality while differently abled in Japan. Blurs the lines between fiction and autofiction using a wild narrative structure. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book !

I don't know where to begin, let alone what to say about this book. On one hand, it definitely fascinated me, but on the other, it absolutely disturbed and gutted me. As an able bodied person whose entire sense of being is laced with envy for wanting material things I can't have, I doubt I could ever understand, let alone imagine what the main character went through.

Nevertheless, she didn't feel incredibly helpless despite her condition. Although she struggled physically, she was, as much as everyone else, her own person. The restrictions her condition brought didn't incapacitate her mind in any way. It didn't stop her from thinking, imagining, and wanting. Despite her condition, she felt incredibly real and authentic to me.

I can't say I loved this book, but I did enjoy reading it. It was definitely a different reading experience compared to the books I usually read, and the ending was quite interesting. I remember sitting still for a good thirty minutes, trying to comprehend and interpret what I had just read, but I guess none of us will ever truly know what that conclusion meant.

I think it's better that way.

(Sadly, I won't be rating the book on Goodreads because although I did like it, I can't really put a pin on where I stand on the rating scale.)

Hunchback is a provocative story about Sanka who lives on a ventilator to help relieve the mucus that overrides her body. Throughout the story, as we follow her, we are given her life through raw eyes and an unapologetic voice. So captivating and excellent.
#Hunchback #NetGalley

"Hunchback" by Saou Ichikawa is a groundbreaking and provocative novel that has shaken Japanese literary culture, and for good reason. This debut novel tells the story of Shaka, a young woman living in a care home outside Tokyo, who refuses to let her physical limitations define her. With her quick wit, sharp tongue, and unapologetic humor, Shaka takes charge of her life, making choices that challenge societal norms and expectations.

Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, "Hunchback" is a masterfully crafted novel that combines formal creativity with unflinching honesty. The author's use of language is both poetic and unapologetic, creating a narrative that is both humorous and heart-wrenching.

Through Shaka's journey, the author tackles themes of autonomy, dignity, and desire, raising important questions about the agency of individuals with disabilities. The novel's feminist undertones are refreshing and timely, making "Hunchback" a vital contribution to contemporary literature.

The characters are multidimensional and complex, with Shaka being a particularly unforgettable protagonist. Her voice is raw, honest, and unapologetic, making it impossible not to be drawn into her world.

Overall, "Hunchback" is a fearless and unforgettable novel that will leave readers changed forever. It's a testament to the human spirit's capacity for resilience, creativity, and joy, even in the face of adversity. If you're looking for a novel that will challenge your perspectives and leave you in awe, "Hunchback" is a must-read.

Shaka is a disabled woman who has a ventilator, tracheostomy tube, and an S-shaped spine. Through an anonymous account, she reveals her unfiltered feelings about her life and desires. The story takes a provocative turn when an aide discovers her identity and agrees to a paid sexual relationship. This raw and daring narrative challenges readers to confront their own biases about disability and intimacy.