Hunchback

Reviews

“Told from the perspective of a disabled woman who asserts her sexual autonomy unapologetically, Hunchback is a personal exploration of pleasure and an indictment of the ableism and sexism embedded in society. Hunchback might be considered radical by nondisabled readers because it honestly depicts the innermost thoughts and desires of a disabled woman, which speaks to the lack of disability representation in publishing. . . . Insightful, humorous, and honest.”—Alice Wong, disability activist and author of Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life

“Impossible to forget.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Funny and frank, this book lingers in the mind long after you turn the final page. . . . [A] must-read debut.”—BBC

“Offering an unflinching insight into the lived experience of disability, and biting commentary on the publishing industry, this is a short but powerful and refreshing novel.”—The Bookseller (UK), “Editor’s Choice”

“An absolutely incredible portrait of one woman’s life and body—I couldn’t put it down. You won’t be able to, either.”—Sarah Rose Etter, author of Ripe

“Hunchback is a deadpan account of living in a body at war with itself, but this battle does not ask for pity, nor is this narrative, or the body at its center, fragile: It’s full of a force that able bodies can’t fully grasp, written in a language that talks both clinically and sexually. It’s also uproariously funny, unflinching, and merciless.”—Mariana Enriquez, author of A Sunny Place for Shady People and Our Share of Night

“Defiant, subversive, sexy, dark, and full of originality, Hunchback breaks like a shard of lightning through a complacent, oppressive world.”—Seán Hewitt, author of Open, Heaven and All Down Darkness Wide

“Hunchback is not only a major achievement in disability literature but great literature, period. It is subversive, raunchy, hilarious, raw, tough, yearning, and important. I want everyone to read this book so they can know that disabled people live, lust, stink, are messy, are perfect, are human.”—Johanna Hedva, author of Your Love Is Not Good and How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom

“Propulsive, sexy, and distilled, Hunchback is the novel on disability and desire I’ve been waiting for. Shifting between the minutiae of physical limits and broader structures of ableism, Saou Ichikawa’s writing is as narratively gripping as it is explosively insightful. This is an essential book.”—Daisy Lafarge, author of Paul

“This genre-defying novel plunges us into a world that is so surreal and bizarre and captivating. Filled with dark humor and existential dread, this is a wild ride that teeters on the memorable edge of the absurd.”—Weike Wang, author of Joan Is Okay and Chemistry

“A forceful and original novel which will leave no reader unchanged.”—Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies and Disappoint Me

“Unforgettable.”—Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman Expand reviews