Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Hunchback

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Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa

5 reviews

bisexualbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This book will be released in the US on March 18th, 2025 by Hogarth Press.

Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa is a poignant and darkly humorous exploration of disability, autonomy, and the complexities of living in a body that doesn’t conform to “normal” standards. Through the eyes of the narrator, Shaka, the story unfolds in the confines of a group home she owns after inheriting it from her deceased parents. Shaka suffers from myotubular myopathy, a degenerative muscle disorder that leaves her physically and socially isolated, relying on a ventilator to breathe and mobility aids to navigate her life. This novella is an unflinching portrayal of Shaka’s frustration with a world that continuously infantilizes her, expecting nothing from her because of her disability and gender.

Ichikawa’s writing is a blend of biting wit and deep emotional insight. The humor is self-deprecating, often sharp and cynical as Shaka observes the absurdity of her existence. The prose is introspective, never shying away from the raw truths of Shaka’s situation. She yearns for experiences that so many others take for granted—like the simple act of reading a book without pain—yet struggles against the physical limitations her body imposes. Her longing for normalcy evolves into an obsession with reproductive autonomy, particularly the choice to experience an abortion. This fixation serves as a lens through which the book delves into the intersections of disability and reproductive justice, forcing us to confront the often-overlooked realities of disabled people’s rights over their own bodies.

At its heart, Hunchback is a meditation on identity and autonomy. Shaka’s internal battle is one of dignity—how to maintain it in a world that expects you to be less than human, a body that isn’t meant to be sexual, capable, or independent. The narrative questions what it means to truly have a choice when the world has already decided that your body is incapable of making its own decisions. Through Shaka’s voice, Ichikawa gives us a character who is defiant and vulnerable in equal measure, desperate to reclaim agency over a life that constantly denies her that power. It's a powerful, necessary book, one that demands we reconsider how we view disability and autonomy in a society that often relegates the disabled to the margins.

📖 Recommended For: Fans of introspective literary fiction, disability justice narratives, and darkly humorous, character-driven stories; readers interested in the intersections of gender, disability, and reproductive justice; those who appreciate sharp, self-aware protagonists and biting commentary on social norms.

🔑 Key Themes: Autonomy and Agency, Disability and Isolation, Reproductive Justice, Gender and Disability, Identity and Dignity.

Content Warnings

ljthelibrarian's review

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dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I finished Hunchback in one sitting partly due to the novella length and partly out of curiosity to see what would happen next.

I was initially drawn to this book because it differs from the type of narratives we usually see around disability, exploring the main character Shaka's internal world, her day-to-day, and the life she lives online. This book is for readers of literary fiction who like complex main characters, and books that make them slightly uncomfortable.

The observations regarding accessibility particularly resonated with me. As a librarian people often ask me if I think that physical books will disappear and be replaced by eBooks, and they make grand statements about how it just doesn't get better than a physical book. Usually they expect me to agree with them, so I am constantly gently (and not so gently) reminding people that as a librarian I advocate for accessibility of information. This means I support books being made available in as many forms as possible - including audiobooks, eBooks, Large Print books etc. Because of Shaka's muscle disorder and curvature of the spine reading physical books is dangerous due to the weight. At one point Shaka references a disability advocate speaking on TV:

"On air, she had spoken eloquently about the difficulties she had with physical books, which she couldn't read unless she had a carer there to turn the pages for her...all those able-bodied people didn't know how good they had it. They could make erudite-sounding pronouncements about how they just liked the smell of books, or the feel of the paper, or the sense of tension that came from the thickness of the remaining pages reducing beneath their fingers, and others would listen unquestioningly to what they were saying."

I wish this book had been a novel. While it was engaging there were many angles and characters touched on that I would have liked to have seen fleshed out and fully explored. While the middle part of the book was engaging, I found the beginning and the ending quite jarring, especially as I didn't see the ending coming. I like the interpretation that the ending is a piece of the protagonist's fiction. This theory makes sense to me as that is how the novella starts, and also the piece is in keeping with the style of Shaka's other writing.

Saou Ichikawa is the first physically disabled author to win the Akutagawa Prize - one of Japan's top literary awards. Hunchback is her debut and I would be interested to read more from her in the future.

Thanks to Penguin for the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

ellslibraries's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

whatabbysreading's review against another edition

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challenging sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Have to start off by saying, for such a short book, it is wild from start to finish. The opening was really clever and definitely threw me for a loop — I thought I had downloaded the wrong book at first. It was a great way to subvert readers expectations for what is to come, and also contribute to display the protagonists skewed relationship with sexuality. Speaking of sexuality, the story was an interesting insight into the ablest infantilization/de-sexing of people with disabilities; however, this being said, the writing did sometimes veer into overtly graphic sexual descriptions that would maybe make some readers uncomfortable. The book as a whole isn't very linear narrative, but rather more stream of consciousness or even a bunch of diary entries, and while I don't dislike that creative choice, for a book so short it make it seem a bit disjointed. Hunchback definitely pushes the boundaries of what a novel can be; I struggle to assign a starred rating to it. If you're looking for a read that is intriguing, thought-provoking, and a little gross in some places, this book is for you.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing for providing me with an advanced digital copy via NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

crothe77's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Hunchback by Ichikawa Saou is a first person dual-POV Japanese contemporary novel exploring disability and autonomy. Shaka has a congenital muscle disorder and lives in a group home that she also owns. When she tweets out her desire to get pregnant and choose whether or not to have the child, her new nurse answers the call.

This book is short but incredibly impactful. Through Shaka, we can see the daily struggles faced by someone with her condition that people who are able-bodied might not think about, such as the act of reading a physical book or taking a shower. The narration also delves into how frustrating it is for Shaka to not only have these experiences, but how the government is not actually making things easier for her.

The main thing that stuck out to me was Shaka calling out the Japanese publishing industry for making scans of books illegal despite how much it would improve the lives of readers. I had no idea the laws were that strict. It was definitely eye-opening and a very important thing that needed to be said.

I loved how the book opened. It was completely different from what I was expecting with a male POV at a swingers club and full of sexual agency. We so often desexualize the disabled and the neurodivergent so having Shaka not only write erotica but also opening her POV with an erotic scene she wrote is telling the reader that they are not allowed to desexualize her. It was a smart choice, it was a bold choice, and it definitely speaks to issues that we have in multiple societies on this front.

Content warning for discussions around sexual harassment, sexual assault, and abortion

I would recommend this to fans of Japanese literature who want more of a focus on social justice issues, readers looking for books from disabled authors exploring disability in unexpected ways, and those looking for their next short read that packs a powerful punch

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