Saou Ichikawa graduated from the School of Human Sciences, Waseda University. Her bestselling debut novel, Hunchback, won the Bungakukai Prize for New Writers, and she is the first author with a physical disability to receive the Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan's top literary awards. She has congenital myopathy and uses a ventilator and an electric wheelchair. Ichikawa lives outside Tokyo.

Polly Barton is an award-winning translator and writer. She lives in Bristol, England.

"Audacious, insightful, bold, and--with its critique of ableism--necessary . . . an absolutely stunning debut. Some readers might be shocked by this brave novel; others might find themselves interrogating their own ableism."--Kirkus Reviews

"An important [and] brave book."--World Literature Today

"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

"Impossible to forget."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[A] gloriously transgressive debut."--The Guardian

"Trailblazing . . . [a] recalcitrant, form-busting book."--Daily Mail

"[A] must-read debut."--BBC

"With a wry sense of humor, Ichikawa successfully uses Shaka's story and vivid imagination to bring the lives of people with disabilities to the forefront (Ichikawa herself has congenital myopathy), while taking a no-holds-barred look at sexuality and desire. . . . Insightful, bold, and provocative . . . Ichikawa's excellent work is wholly relatable for anyone who has ever felt out of place in society and longed to fit in."--Library Journal, starred review

"A funny and feminist story of a woman seeking autonomy, meaning and respect."--Ms.

"A masterpiece . . . Ichikawa asks us to see disability with more equitable eyes."--Booklist

"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

"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 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

"Propulsive, sexy, and distilled, Hunchback is the novel on disability and desire I've been waiting for. . . . as narratively gripping as it is explosively insightful."--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

"A forceful and original novel which will leave no reader unchanged."--Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies

Publisher: Hogarth Press

Pub date: 2025-03-18

Length: 112 pages