I read this in about an hour. I didn’t see the ending coming.
It was compelling, intriguing, and unexpected.

I’m struggling to give this book a star rating, simply because of the themes and deeply personal aspects in this story. It explores a disabled woman’s life and sexual desires, and the ableism she faces on a daily basis. Her life is slightly depressing, but her addiction to lust is even more disturbing, as are her lengths to achieve her desires. I can see why this book sent shock waves when it was published, it’s graphic and crass and incredibly detailed.

An extremely powerful novella about ableism in Japan, from the point of view of a woman with a serious physical disability, written by an author with that same disability. It is furious and relentless, brutal and unforgiving, and places the body, with all its flaws and desires, firmly in the centre stage and doesn’t take its eyes off it for one second.

*Hunchback* by Saou Ichikawa is a raw and confronting examination of disability and ableism. The novel offers a powerful critique of societal prejudices, immersing readers in the life of Shaka, a disabled woman living in a care home funded by her wealthy parents. Through her online fiction and interactions with a carer who discovers her secret, the story explores themes of desire and societal exclusion with unflinching honesty.

The writing is sharp, combining humor with an intelligent, unapologetic look at disability and human desire. It's a compelling 4-star read for its bold narrative and insightful commentary.

Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm really not sure how to rate this book. It was predominantly about a disabled woman who describes her disability and the issues she has with some able bodied people, but I found a lot of the concepts confusing and lacking focus.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

While I liked the blurb and following a character with disabilities, I expected a deeper exploration of the themes after starting the book and the style of the prose was not my favourite.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the e-ARC of this book.

“Being able to see; being able to hold a book; being able to turn its pages; being able to maintain a reading posture; being able to go to a bookshop to buy a book - I loathed the exclusionary machismo of book culture that demanded that its participants meet these five criteria of ablebodiedness. I loathed, too, the ignorant arrogance of all those self-professed book-lovers so obvious to their privilege.”

Right from the outset this is a confronting, raw, dark, pulsing examination of disability and ableism. A strong commentary on societal prejudices towards those with disabilities, providing an insight most people will never have even considered.

We follow the life of Shaka, a disabled woman living in a care home funded by her parents’ wealth. She lives vicariously through the online posts and fiction she writes, until one of her carers reveals he has found her online alias and they make an arrangement…

Beautifully written with humour and wit. The inclusion of sex and desire; the refusal to censor what are basic human desires. Full frontal and intelligent. I really loved this book for everything it is throwing in the readers face, and rightfully doing so unapologetically.

Shaka is a disabled woman living in a care facility. Her parents have been able to provide well for her financially and she spends her time writing erotic fiction. There are experiences she'd like to have though and she approaches a male carer about assisting her with this. It's a super short read (just over half an hour) and I felt the blurb didn't match the story brilliantly. Because of the brief nature of the book it feels like it doesn't really get going.

Hunchback is a short novel about a disabled woman, exploring her life and what happens when one of her care workers has found out more about her. Shaka was born with a muscle disorder and now lives in a care home she owns, where she spends her time studying online and writing erotica and darkly honest social media posts. When care worker Tanaka reveals he's read it all, Shaka decides to try and get the one thing she's been looking for.

This is a short, sharp look at one disabled woman's life—echoing some of the author's experiences—that pushes at the boundaries of what people in many societies (not just in Japan, where the book is set) think about disability and what disabled people's lives are like, including around sex. There's very little narrative, but there's quite a lot you can get into terms of story from the book, including an ambiguous ending that blurs the lines between layers of fiction and storytelling in the novel. It's a gripping book, easy to read in one sitting, that offers a perspective unlike most narrators in fiction.

I absolutely adored this book! I love the attention it brings to people that have a disability as someone who deals with chronic debilitating health issues that we matter and have feelings and the right to indulge in all life’s pleasures and opportunities just like anyone else. This book will resonate with many fellow warriors

a japanese woman born with a hunchback reflects on her life.

as the reader, you can tell saou ichiwaka, has drawn from her own experiences as the description of dealing with health issues / disabilities is very relatable.

i would’ve personally preferred if the story was focused more on disabilities in japan rather than sexual topics.

This is a really interesting book. It made me think about things I hadn’t considered before - particularly how the view of disability may differ country by country. It’s an odd book. I can’t really describe if I liked it or not. I am not usually keen on books with such a large focus on sex. You should read it though. It’s well written, and then you can decide what you think.

I seem to be in a minority here but what I read didn't seem to match up with the synopsis. I mean it was very very quick (30 min read!) and I didn't DNF but it just wasn't for me.

When I first started reading this I thought I'd accidentally requested to read a smut-lit book but it turns out it was just what the protagonist did for fun. Shaka was born with congenital muscle disorder and lived in a group home found and paid for by her deceased parents. Whiling away the hours writing erotic fiction, Shaka had thoughts and questions about things she wanted to experience that able-bodied women could, that she wanted to post on social media but she saved them to her drafts, until she didn't. A care worker at the home found her online postings and offered her what she wanted at price.

I didn't enjoy this much, mainly because I felt that there wasn't much of plot, mostly the personal views of a disabled woman. The story petered out to no satisfaction and left me wondering whether it needed more substance. I didn't think Shaka's feelings and thoughts were farfetched by any means, but the whole story felt more like a longread fiction piece rather than a novel.

Shaka Isawa’s spine is twisted so deeply that her lungs struggle to take in oxygen. She uses an electric wheelchair most of the time. Shaka gets paid to write erotica online and studies at university, both from the privacy of her own room. She is the owner of the care facility that she resides in, thanks to her wealthy parents, and donates all of the money she makes from her writing to food banks and shelters. She secretly posts her deepest, darkest wishes under a pseudonym online: she would like to experience an abortion.

The beginning of this book was so well written that I thought I had downloaded the wrong file! Each element of this story was expertly crafted and expertly interwoven throughout the text. The story prods the reader into considering the current climate for disabled people, and how poorly constructed our current society is. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, especially able-bodied people with no experience of physical disability.

4/5 stars

This was a short yet not easy read! It was the first time I read from the POV of a heavily physically disabled person, and was really insightful to read about her daily life, thoughts and struggles, with the Japanese culture backdrop added in as well. Fascinating and very necessary novel!

I can see this being a polarising book. For me it was a fascinating read, both a realistic portrayal of a disabled person and the small glimpse into Japanese culture. I want to read from this author again.