Hunchback

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LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 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’ Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman

Unapologetic, unashamed and unflinching. Hunchback grips the reader with its raw, fizzing, subversive energy, even as it shakes off shackles — both physical and mental. A book that moved and thrilled us.
International Booker Prize judges

About Saou Ichikawa

Details

Imprint: Penguin
Published: 06/03/2025
ISBN: 9781405967136
Length: 112 pages
Price: £7.99

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Hunchback

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Unapologetic, unashamed and unflinching. Hunchback grips the reader with its raw, fizzing, subversive energy, even as it shakes off shackles — both physical and mental. A book that moved and thrilled us.

Hunchback is one of the boldest and most unusual books to emerge from a mainstream publisher in years. It's a brilliant, riveting book that lets us tune into the voices we have long kept suppressed.

A must-read debut. Funny and frank, this book lingers in the mind long after you turn the final page

Gloriously transgressive. The novel asks us which is more important: access to culture or to sexual expression? And, like all good fiction, it doesn’t provide a straight answer.'

**Written with guts and wit, Hunchback is a tender and defiant story which forces readers to think far beyond ableist concepts of who gets to desire and be desired**

Thrillingly transgressive... a difficult, intriguingly recalcitrant, form-busting book

One of the best books of 2025

Hailed as one of the most important Japanese novels of the 21st century, Hunchback is a subversive and morally complex story that dismantles assumptions about disability. **A difficult but revelatory read, expect Hunchback to be one of the most talked about books of the year**

A remarkable and original study of yearning. Funny, lively and very touching.

A lithe, thrilling book — Saou’s writing is as sharp as a knife

About Saou Ichikawa

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