Overview

‘Tender and thrilling it’s Yuzuki at her best’ ELLE ‘I couldn't stop reading’ COSTANZA CASATI ‘Unsettling, compelling, richly written’ JODIE HARSH ‘Dark, tender, unforgettable’ JANE CASEY 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, pristine apartment and a high-flying 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 soon Eriko's obsession with Shōko begins to spiral out of control, threatening her carefully laid plans. How far will she go to hold on to the best friend she’s ever had? Beautifully translated by Polly Barton, Hooked is an unsettling story of the line between friendship and dangerous obsession, and a delicious exploration of food, loneliness and womanhood in contemporary Japan. A most anticipated book of 2026 in Vogue, Guardian, New York Times, Forbes, The Times, Sunday Times Style, Elle, Stylist, BBC, Grazia, Bricks Magazine, Radio Times, LitHub, Oprah Daily and Daily Express. ‘The kind of book you press into your friends’ hands, desperate to dissect it’ ERIN KELLY, author of The House of Mirrors ‘An exciting new thriller that you won't be able to put down’ RADIO TIMES ‘Expect to see this distinctive pink cover everywhere’ GRAZIA ‘[A] razor-edged story about women, appetite and what we'll do to feel chosen … Safe to say, we're already hooked’ OPRAH DAILY ‘No one writes about the hidden depths and lurking monstrosities of womanhood quite like Asako Yuzuki’ ALICE SLATER, author of Let the Bad Times Roll ‘A thrilling and deliciously sharp examination of the extremes of female friendship. Achingly tender and wickedly funny’ EDEL COFFEY, author of In Glass Houses ‘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

Full Product Details

9780008802301

Table of Contents

Reviews

Praise for Butter: ‘Exuberant, indulgent romp of a novel … Butter is a full-fat, Michelin-starred treat’ Sunday Times 'Yuzuki has created a cult phenomenon' iNews ‘Yuzuki has become the poster girl of a British boom for Japanese fiction’ The Times ‘Word of mouth hit and cult Japanese bestseller, Butter, took the literary world by storm' BBC ‘Readers around the world are finding themselves utterly captivated’ Daily Mail ‘Ambitious and unsettling … a thought-provoking and surprisingly feelgood take on friendship, transgressive pleasures, and society’s impossibly contradictory expectations of women’ Guardian ‘A biting satire on fat-shaming culture and double standards in beauty’ Financial Times

Author Information

Asako Yuzuki was born in Tokyo in 1981. She won the All Yomimono Award for New Writers for her story, 'Forget Me, Not Blue', which appeared in her debut, Shuuten No Anoko, published in 2010. She won the Yamamoto Shugoro Award in 2015 for Nile Perch No Joshikai. She has been nominated multiple times for the Naoko Prize, and her novels have been adapted for television, radio and film.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available