Hunchback
Saou Ichikawa
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From the publisher
Translated by Polly Barton
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025
The award-winning, bestselling Japanese phenomenon. An extraordinary, thrilling novel about sex, disability and power
'A must-read debut. Funny and frank, this book lingers in the mind long after you turn the final page' BBC Books of 2025
Born with a congenital muscle disorder, Shaka Isawa has severe spine curvature and uses an electric wheelchair and ventilator. Within the limits of her care home, her life is lived online: she studies, she tweets indignantly, she posts outrageous stories on an erotica website. One day, a new male carer reveals he has read it all – the sex, the provocation, the dirt. Her response? An indecent proposal…
Written by the first disabled author to win Japan’s most prestigious literary award and acclaimed instantly as one of the most important Japanese novels of the twenty-first century, Hunchback is an extraordinary, thrilling glimpse into the desire and darkness of a woman placed at humanity’s edge.
‘Uproariously funny, unflinching, and merciless’ Mariana Enriquez, author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed
‘Filled with unforgettable insight’ Sakaya Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman
'A lithe, thrilling book — Saou’s writing is as sharp as a knife' Pandora Sykes
'Will leave no reader unchanged' Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies
‘This is an essential book.’ Daisy Lafarge, author of Paul