In just 100 pages Ichikawa made me feel all. the. things. This is an incredibly darkly funny debut about bodies that I will be thinking about for the rest of the year.

DNF @5%

Due to unexpected content that is offensive to me [I cannot even begin to share how much I DESPISE the euphemism "tit" or 'tits". Absolutely hate it and it is used 5-7 times in the first 5% of the book - UGH, and that is just the start of what really bothered me], I will NOT be finishing/reviewing this book.
While I understand the...idea? behind this book [and I absolutely celebrate that there is finally a book with a MC that is disabled], the content [and some of the storyline that I was unaware of and 100% cannot read about] is not something I ever want to read. As I was initially excited to read this book, I am very disappointed. While I have never been a huge fan of trigger warnings, this is the second book this week where I 100% wish that there had been one in the description to help the reader better decide whether this book would be for them or not.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Random House Publishing- Random House/Hogarth for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing has left me this kind of speechless before... I finished this a few days ago but still don't think I've figured out all that I want to say. Especially because this is something I'm certain I'll think about for the rest of my life.

Absolutely incredible, vulnerable, hilarious, challenging, SO friggin sharp.
From the very first line, I was determined to ignore all responsibilities and finish in one sitting. When I tell you I COULD NOT put it down, I mean I brought my kindle with me so I could read at the gas station while my car was filling up.

Saou Ichikawa challenged what I thought I knew (no exaggeration there), taught me a LOT I didn't already know (and may not have ever learned otherwise), and made me laugh out loud enough times I lost count. More than 3 though, otherwise I would have remembered to use "a few". That's a lot for a book w 112 pages.
I will 110% be getting a trophy copy the second I can get it in my hands IRL. Like, I'd stand in line for this. (Update, preordered this baby and just waited at the door like a puppy)

I've never read anything this powerful around disability, and that's saying a lot because I've read How To Tell When We Will Die by Johanna Hedva. Anyone else who has read HTTWWWD knows that it's pretty radical (in a good way).

If you need me, I'll be seeking out everything Saou Ichikawa has written that's been translated to English so far. The second I saw Polly Barton's name I should have already known this would be a knockout, though. There's been nothing of hers I didn't immediately fall in love with.

{Thank you bunches to Saou Ichikawa, Polly Barton, NetGalley, Random House as a whole, and Hogarth specifically for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}

2.75 ⭐️ (rounded u to 3 ) HUNCHBACK by Saou Ichikawa
Translared by Polly Barton from Japanese.

I understand why many people find this to be powerful, and I appreciate the ideas and themes, but it did end abruptly for me, and I was left very confused. After some googling, I think I understand the ending, but it feels unfinished.. at least to me.
I wish these themes were explored more. I wanted more time with the character Shaka.

I read this almost 3 weeks ago, and I'm still not really sure how I feel about it.

Ultimately, this is thought-provoking, at times funny and other times unhinged.

Anyway, this is just my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt. Read the books YOU want to read and form your own opinions🫶🏻❤️ reading is subjective, y'all.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own. 🤘🏻💀🤘🏻

This novel has gained tremendous attention in Japan and globally, Shaka has myotubular myopathy. Muscle weakness causes her body to press her down so her lungs are damaged and require regular suction and periods on a ventilator. In one sense, she is fortunate because she never has to worry about money. Her parents were very wealthy and created the best group home one could conceive of for her lifelong care.

We quickly learn that Shaka spends a lot of time reading and thinking about sex, such that she earns money writing porn for various websites with some success. Her musings on this, what she wants in life, what being this disabled feels like from the inside, how people with disabilities see others' views of disabilities are very matter of fact and sometimes very funny.

This is a very short book and it stops abruptly. I understand why it is considered so powerful, but for me it was an amazing piece of writing but just an okay read that I would selectively recommend to others.

Hunchback is a bold and honest feminist story of a woman born with a congenital muscle disorder seeking autonomy. This book is original and provocative and we need more literature like this! I highly recommend this insightful and thought-provoking novel.

I’m not really sure how to even review this one tbh - it’s a short, horny, quirky novella about a disabled woman living in a care home. it was a fine read but i left feeling like i wanted so much more from the story. it felt a bit conflicting on whether it was trying to be a commentary on the treatment of disabled people or normalizing disabilities.

I wanted to write a review for this work for my blog, Cobleskill Commentaries; however, I have not been able to write about it comprehensively, so I am going to provide a concise review here.

Hunchback, written by Saou Ichikawa and translated by Polly Barton, is an odd little book about a woman named Shaka who has a congenital muscle disorder and lives in a care facility in Tokyo. With that said, she is also a woman trapped in her own body. She is smart as a whip, takes courses on an I-Pad, writes erotic fiction for websites, and regularly trolls individuals on the internet. Along with that, and this is where the dramatic conflict comes into play, Shaka wants to experience pregnancy; so, much of the book is about her attempts to recruit a sperm donor to help her along on her journey (which is much more complicated than what I am presenting here).

There is no doubt that Hunchback is an intriguing novella (of sorts) that redefines readers' notions of how people with physical limitations lead their own independent lives; however, the book also does not give readers a great deal of time to embed themselves into Shaka's life, which is complex, and in need of more context. The work is provocative and cerebral in that it gets us into the measured mind of someone who can hardly speak or move on their own (a variation on a Japanese theme) but, at the same time, the work ultimately ends up being a bit too high-concept and incomplete for my tastes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for this eARC!

This is my first experience reading Saou Ichikawa's work, but I was fascinated by the premise of the novel. Also, I didn't realize how quick of a read this was! It was so good I was left wanting more of the story. You get sucked in immediately in the beginning of the book, but somehow I was left really wanting more by the end of the book. I wanted to know more about Shaka and what laid beyond the story at hand. At first I thought maybe there was a glitch with the ebook; I would say that's the only drawback of this novel (it ended too soon and somewhat too abruptly). However, I look forward to reading more by Saou Ichikawa!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC.

What a wild ride. This genre of book is still new to me but I am blown away by each one that I get the chance to read. Hunchback is in a league of its own.

Wow!! I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, but it was excellent. Shaka's descriptions of her disability are so vivid and visceral. I so appreciate the author, who has myotubular myopathy, writing a protagonist with myotubular myopathy as well so that their experience can be seen by able bodied folks who so often choose to ignore the existence of disabled folks.

The sex writing was fun to read, and Shaka, our narrator, is very funny. I chuckled a few times and was never quite sure where this book was going to take us next.

I was absolutely shocked by the ending. Truly did not see that coming. I'm choosing to interpret it as another story that Shaka is writing instead of reality...but who knows. Very curious what other readers make of it!

Beautifully atmospheric and haunting will definatly think of this book for years to come and definatly a mood

Hunchback has ultimately been a very difficult novella for me to review. I was thrilled for the author to see the book make the Booker Longlist. Reception across the board has seemed to be very positive, which really created a hype-factor for me going into this short book.

I found many aspects of the book reflective and insightful, particularly the author’s discussions around access to books as a disabled person, and her identify as a student and its physical demand. I did not jive with the shock factor written into Hunchback, however, and what I perceived as a lack of agency in the plot’s fallout.

I am still interested in hearing what others think, but ultimately did not find this novella to be as powerful as other readers have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher, for this advanced copy of Hunchback. I am pleased to report that it belongs in the "do not miss" category. I'm thrilled to see it on the long list for the International Booker Prize, and I hope it wins.

In this exquisite novel, Ichikawa has written about the beauty and profundity of the most basic biological need shared by all mammals, but one that it seems humans experience uniquely.: sexuality. This is a very short novel (about 100 pages) and saying more will give too much away. Just know that it needs to be read.

If you like weird, quirky short novels, then this book will delight you. It’s very provocative and razor sharp. I liked getting into the peculiar mind of our protagonist. I also like reading translated fiction. Kooky little book that packs a gut-punch to the heart.

This book packs a wallop! The juxtaposition of so many ideas, qualities, personalities along with the setting make for a truly unusual read. Though set in Japan, in a sense it has a universality to it. The story rings both true and absurd and takes you places you'd never get to on your own. It's a very short book but it is going to be one that you'll remember and reread. I will say that the opening pages jarred me and I wasn't sure what I was getting into, so some readers may want to put it down at that point. But, don't. You'd miss out on a lot. Kudos to both the writer and the translator.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I will be really curious to see how it is received.

From the very first pages, this compact little book shocked me with Ichikawa’s sharp and funny and provocative prose. I was uncomfortable. I’m certain that I was supposed to be uncomfortable. I’m still not sure what happened at the end. The author leaves the ending intentionally ambiguous, and I’m truly curious what other readers think happened in those final pages. I’m not going to elaborate on the plot here, mostly because I think this book is best appreciated if you know little to nothing about it. I particularly appreciated Ichikawa’s incisive commentary on disability and being disabled. My digital ARC is full of highlighted passages that I wanted to reflect on and return to. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy translated literature, short novellas that leave a big impact, and books that explore the themes of bodily autonomy, sexual autonomy, and power dynamics within relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I read this bite-sized novel quickly, but I'm still processing it several hours later. I haven’t read a book quite like it, and it was refreshing to read a story with a disabled protagonist, written by a writer with the same disability. It was casual, salacious, and thoughtful-provoking all at once. There's a lot to unpack in this seemingly brief, simple novel, and that's what I love about it. I look forward to other books by the author.

Thank you Hogarth Books for a copy!

A new entry on my list of *must reads.* A novella about a woman with congenital myopathy by an author with congenital myopathy.

A story about disability, disability and sexuality, society’s charity view of disability, and overall Japan’s ableism (and is it rly just Japan?). At 112 pgs, it packs a lot!

Just wonderful.

this is definitely best read in one sitting - the ending made me go WAIT WHAT! this is a wry look at disability and class and reproductive rights, and i don’t think i’ve ever read anything like it. i appreciate what ichikawa was able to do in so few pages, and the way she was able to balance humor with the very real struggles of the narrator. asking a lot of big questions that i’d love to see explored more deeply. i’ve read one other book translated by polly barton and i think she does a great job stylistically!