Asako Yuzuki is a contemporary Japanese novelist known for her sharp social insight and emotionally layered storytelling. Born in Tokyo in 1981, she studied French literature at Rikkyo University before beginning her literary career. Yuzuki gained early recognition after winning the All Yomimono Prize for New Writers, establishing herself as a distinctive voice in modern Japanese fiction. Her work often explores themes of womanhood, food culture, societal expectations, and the quiet tensions that shape everyday life in Japan. She is particularly acclaimed for her novel Butter, which blends crime, gender commentary, and culinary detail into a compelling narrative that earned international attention and translation. Yuzuki’s writing is characterized by psychological depth, subtle humor, and an unflinching examination of social norms, especially those affecting women. Through her novels and essays, she continues to contribute meaningfully to contemporary Japanese literature, offering readers stories that are both intimate and socially resonant.
Hooked
- ISBN : 9780008815417
- Author : Asako Yuzuki
- Number of Pages : 400
- Publisher : Harper Collins
- Format : Paperback
Book Description
Yuzuki has become the poster girl of a British boom for Japanese fiction’ THE TIMES
‘Tender and thrilling it’s Yuzuki at her best’ ELLE
‘Safe to say, we're already hooked' OPRAH DAILY
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 IN GUARDIAN, VOGUE, ELLE, STYLIST, BBC, RADIO TIMES, OPRAH DAILY, THE NIGHTLY and the DAILY EXPRESS.
The unmissable new novel of friendship and dangerous obsession from Asako Yuzuki, the award-winning author of the global bestselling sensation Butter.
Eriko really wouldn't mind being savaged, if it was her best friend doing the savaging …
Eriko's life appears perfect – devoted parents, spotless apartment and a job in the seafood division of one of Japan's largest trading companies. Her latest project, to reintroduce the controversial Nile perch fish into the Japanese market, is characteristically ambitious. But beneath her flawless surface she is wracked by loneliness.
Eriko becomes fascinated with a popular blog written by a housewife, Shōko. Shōko’s posts about eating convenience store food and her untidy home are the opposite of the typical Japanese housewife’s manicured lifestyle. When Eriko tracks Shōko down at her favourite restaurant and befriends her, Shōko is at first charmed by her new companion. But as Eriko’s obsession with Shōko deepens, her increasingly possessive behaviour starts to raise suspicion. As Eriko’s carefully laid plans begin to unravel, how far will she go to hold on to the best friend that she’s ever had?
Beautifully translated by Polly Barton, Hooked is a thrilling and unsettling story of the line between friendship and dangerous obsession. A delicious exploration of food, loneliness and womanhood in contemporary Japan, Hooked brings together all the ingredients for which Asako Yuzuki is so adored.
‘Dark, spiny and slippery, this haunting tale of loneliness and longing in the modern age will leave you gasping’ TOBI COVENTRY, author of He’s the Devil
Asako Yuzuki's book 'Butter' was a No.2 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-12-09.
About The Author
Asako Yuzuki is a contemporary Japanese novelist known for her sharp social insight and emotionally layered storytelling. Born in Tokyo in 1981, she studied French literature at Rikkyo University before beginning her literary career. Yuzuki gained early recognition after winning the All Yomimono Prize for New Writers, establishing herself as a distinctive voice in modern Japanese fiction. Her work often explores themes of womanhood, food culture, societal expectations, and the quiet tensions that shape everyday life in Japan. She is particularly acclaimed for her novel Butter, which blends crime, gender commentary, and culinary detail into a compelling narrative that earned international attention and translation. Yuzuki’s writing is characterized by psychological depth, subtle humor, and an unflinching examination of social norms, especially those affecting women. Through her novels and essays, she continues to contribute meaningfully to contemporary Japanese literature, offering readers stories that are both intimate and socially resonant.
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