Overview

‘Tender and thrilling it’s Yuzuki at her best’ ELLE ‘Deliciously satisfying’ iPAPER ‘I couldn't stop reading’ COSTANZA CASATI ‘Fantastically dark’ ERIN KELLY The unsettling new novel of friendship and dangerous obsession from Asako Yuzuki, the award-winning author of the global 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 convenience-store food and her messy home are the opposite of the typical manicured housewife. When Eriko tracks Shōko down at her favourite restaurant, Shōko is at first charmed by her new companion. But soon Eriko's obsession with Shōko begins to spiral out of control. How far will she go to hold on to the best friend she’s ever had? Beautifully translated by Polly Barton, Hooked is a delicious exploration of food, loneliness and womanhood in contemporary Japan. A most anticipated book of 2026 in Vogue, Guardian, New York Times, The Times, Sunday Times Style, Elle, Stylist, BBC, Grazia and more. ‘Expect to see this distinctive pink cover everywhere’ GRAZIA ‘Unsettling, compelling, richly written’ JODIE HARSH, author of You Had to Be There ‘You won't be able to put down’ RADIO TIMES ‘Gripping … exposes how far we're willing to go’ ELLE CANADA ‘You can’t fail to be reeled in’ SERVICE95 ‘Dark, tender, unforgettable’ JANE CASEY, author of The Secret Room ‘Will leave you gasping’ TOBI COVENTRY, author of He’s the Devil ‘No one writes about the lurking monstrosities of womanhood quite like Asako Yuzuki’ ALICE SLATER, author of Death of a Bookseller ‘Achingly tender and wickedly funny’ EDEL COFFEY, author of In Glass Houses ‘A razor-edged story about women, appetite and what we'll do to feel chosen’ OPRAH DAILY

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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 is the author of Butter, her first novel translated into English, which became a no.1 Sunday Times bestseller. It won Waterstones Book of the Year 2024, the Books Are My Bag Breakthrough Author Award and Fiction Debut of the Year at the British Book Awards, among other accolades. She won the All Yomimono Award for New Writers for her story, ‘Forget Me, Not Blue’, which appeared in her debut, Shuuten No Anoko. She has been nominated multiple times for the Naoki Prize, and her novels have been adapted for television, radio and film.

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