The writing in this novella realy surprised me. I'm used to a certain tone and floweryness when it comes to Japanese literature, however this was quite crass and contained refrences to the culture that I couldn't place. The plot itself follows the day to day life of a disabled woman living in a group home. Shaka studies and writes erotic stories on the internet. I liked the representation of how disability doesn't negate the sexual wants of a person. I wish more had been discussed about the dichotomy, but only 112 pages can only contain so much. This book is also quite graphic at times, that was often jarring and unexpected.

A Japanese novella about Shaka, a forty something woman who is living in a group home for disability people who is owned by her family. Shaka has an abnormality in her spine, which causes her to have a spine with a shape of S which crushes a lung and forces her to depend on a ventilator and electric wheelchair However, she didn't feel incredibly helpless despite her condition.

It is actually semi-autobiographical, which explores her life as a disable woman and her sexual desire, and her lengths to achieve her desires are a bit disturbing.

This novella contains quite a lot of adult content

Yeah, be ready for the confusing ending. I don't mind ambiguous ending, but this one just ended very abruptly, and I felt like What???

Settled on 4 stars. Did I enjoy the book? Still not entirely sure. Am I glad I read the book? Yes, definitely. Reading I found the story has an interesting narrator and I suppose protagonist- a quadriplegic woman suffering from a degenerative congenital condition. You are dropped into her adult life which revolves around sexual escapism writing and blogging, and also her home life circumstances. She has plenty of money, but would give this up for a what she sees as a normal female life. I was forced to consider her perspective about quality of life for those with major disabilities. This point is even more interesting since the author is disabled; is this totally fiction or partly auto-biographical? Or is this question unfair since all authors put part of who they are into every book they write, disabled or not. Thank you to Penguin General Uk - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Such a little book of translated fiction finding a huge message inside. Very thought provoking, this will stay with me for awhile.

Thank you to Yazmeen at @penguinrandomhouse for this incredible #arc @netgalley

I decided to read #hunchback by #saouichikawa, translated by @pollybukuro as I wanted an escape from the various #translatedfiction I have been reading of late. At 112 pages, I thought it will be a light read before I move onto something bigger.

I should have known better #pollybarton is a great barometer when it comes to picking amazing books. She only translates stories that stay with it or impact upon you in big ways. Thank you Polly 😊

I read this in one evening, it flows so easily and you fly through the pages but it's a total contradiction as its really deep and I felt like I had read 200-300 pages given how much is packed into it.

I won't provide the synopsis as you need to have a look for yourselves but below could be some spoilers if you want to go in blind so look away now if so...

#saouichikawa is disabled with a similar condition to the leading character in this book. It truly shows not only in the factual information around the disability and daily life but the suffocation of such a 'disabling' condition, how the mind can build worlds as the physical body is closed off more and more and how someone in this situation and context can desire something that we take for granted.

As an examples, when the character talks about ablebodied people and their love for physical books, the new book smell, there ability to turn each page and so on, it hits hard and really pushes you to reflect and want to apologise.

I want to find fault in this book so I can expand my reviews and maybe develop myself more in terms of literature but I cannot find anything wrong! I am still in shock it's on 112 pages, it doesn't make sense. This book is so so good, I just wish it was longer l, I think maybe that's why it packs such a punch. I hope #saouichikawa is writing more fiction, around the world of disability and not, I will read it all.

Absolutely loved this and I encourage you to read it too, because it's brilliant, because it shows you how life is for someone with a disability, because the writing is really good and because you are lucky you have the chance to enter this world.

Con...

Hunchback is one of the most significant novels of the 21st century, and for good reason. It’s intense, thought-provoking, and beautifully written, pushing the reader to see beyond physical limitations to the fierce human spirit within. This novel is a rare and powerful look into life at society’s margins, capturing both the darkness and the light of a woman determined to live life on her own terms.

Shaka Isawa was born with a congenital muscle disorder, which makes their spine curvature the shape of an S. Living in a care home as she needs a ventilator and constant care, she lives most of her life online through her studies and through her wonderful imagination by creating these erotica stories. She has a lot of money and she is ready to spend it to live her fantasies. .

This is quite a short book, it’s an important story as I dont think there is enough books, stories set in the perspective of living with disabilities and we need more. I would recommend this!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read a copy in advance in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed this grotesque novel. I have never read anything like it and have to say it is not for the faint hearted, some of the scenes are horrifying. Loved the lens and commentary on the able bodies. Will be reading anything Ichikawa writes (and translates) from now on.

I don’t understand the hype around this book. It’s just over 100 pages, but honestly, they add nothing of substance. It was supposed to be sensual, intriguing, and touch on important social themes, but I felt it was all style over substance. A waste of time.

Hunchback is a short and focused tale about sexual autonomy and disability. I tore through it in one sitting. I wish there had been more about her erotic writing and how that juxtaposed her lived experiences. I liked the visceral details, the physicality of it, and that the protagonist is in their 40s! Strange and enjoyable!

This book is very unique and covers topics which I have not read before. I would have liked the story to be a little bit longer to add a bit more depth to the overall plot, but I still very much enjoyed this!

*3.5

It is not easy to write a good story in only a couple of pages. Hunchback counts just a little over a hundred pages. Is it a good story? I am not all together convinced of that fact.
It was an interesting story, to be sure. Quite bewildering, also quite graphic. I am not specifically interested in talk of sex or sexual acts in literature. The topic figures throughout the novella, but it's not its theme, merely a way of showing how life can be for a severly disabled person.
So what is Hunchback all about? Its protagonist is Shaka Isawa, a woman with a congenital muscle disorder. Shaka lives in a care home, but her actual life is happening online. She writes erotic stories in which she imagines what life would be like without a disability. Shaka is especially focused on sexuality. She longs to experience pregnancy, but as she knows she cannot carry a baby to term, she is set to go for what she can accomplish: get pregnant and then get an abortion.
With its topic Hunchback is quite controversial, though it doesn't come to its full potential. At least not for me. I would have liked to hear a little bit more about Shaka, about other things that she thinks about and how she goes about accomplishing those things. The story as it is now, ends quite abruptly. It does not feel finished and therefore left me, as a reader, hanging a little.

This was an interesting weird book. It is about a woman with a severe disability, she lives in a care facility paid by her parents inheritance. She is obsessed with getting pregnant, but knows that due to her disability she cannot carry the pregnancy to term, so she just wants to be pregnant long enough to have an abortion, that is what she wants to achieve with her life. I found some of the talk about how people saw her duet her disability interesting, but the obsession with sex and getting an abortion was not very interesting to me. With that said, I tend to find talk of sex and sex obsession uninteresting in general, so maybe it was me and not the book.

A very visceral and raw account of the day to day life of a self-described severely disabled woman. I enjoyed the writing and the story, my only real criticism is that it felt a little bit more like a short story than a novella. I would have enjoyed a longer book.

A breathtaking and unrelenting ride through the innermost thoughts and demons of a severely disabled woman in her 40s, inspired, I presume, by the author's own experiences.

The story is told in the first person, and tells about the life of our protagonist, as she navigates life, and tries to find joy and richness of experience despite the limitations her disease puts forces on her. The narrator doesn't shy away from delving, with minute detail, into how the body struggles to cope, the desires that still persist, and how the tension builds up with nowhere to go.

There is something of an exhibitionist experience in reading this, and I can see how it can shake the Japanese literary world (which awarded this book the prestigious Akutagawa prize in 2023), which is not used to depictions of imperfect bodies, bodily fluids, etc.

The book is very humane, gentle, and tender, reminding the reader of the beauty of human nature, despite physical afflictions.

Hugely recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book was an interesting read. I think while it was fast paced and the author really wrote the speaker well, but the ending was confusing. It would need some more refinement on how to convey what it was trying to achieve better.

This is hard to rate. I liked the book and it was definitely unique and eye-opening. There just wasn't much to it and that let it down.

This was a fast paced, twisty read which i really enjoyed. The novella’s protagonist is Shaka Isawa, born with a congenital muscle disorder, who spends her time writing erotic fiction and outrageous tweets, some of which are included in this narrative. Challenging the notions of asexuality projected onto disabled individuals, this novella vividly depicts a woman’s attempts to assert her own agency over her body. When entering into a sexual agreement with one of her male carers, I was unsure as to who was the abusive party - her, him, or both. The ending left me unsettled, slightly confused but definitely wanting to read more by this author. I definitely recommend picking this book up!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher/ author for the chance to review this ARC!

Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa is an intriguing read that offers a unique perspective on the classic tale. The character development is commendable, particularly in how Ichikawa explores the complexities of the protagonist's emotions and struggles. However, the pacing can be uneven at times, which might leave some readers feeling a bit disconnected from the storyline. The writing style is engaging, but there were moments when the narrative felt a bit convoluted. Overall, it's a solid book worth reading for fans of reimagined classics, but it may not resonate with everyone. 3 stars.

Hunchback has shaken Japanese literary culture w Hunchback is a well written, often humerous, book about a woman born with a congenital muscle disorder who refuses to let her physical limitations and disability overtake her life or deprive her of her autonomy. While her physical life is limited, her mind and thoughts know no bounds. She expresses her fantasies through online fictional publications and writes confronting tweets to provoke controversy. One of these tweets results in shocking unforeseen events.
The novel also provides insight into the physical implications of having a disability and the treatments and compromises that are required on a daily basis.
Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC. ith its skillful depiction of the physical body and its unrepentant humor. Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, it’s a feminist story about the dignity of an individual who insists on her right to make choices for herself, no matter the consequences. Formally creative and refreshingly unsentimental, Hunchback depicts the joy, anger, and desires of a woman demanding autonomy in a world that doesn’t aways always grant it to people like her. Full of wit, bite, and heart, this unforgettable novel reminds us all of the full potential of our lives, regardless of the limitations we experience.