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Hooked

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Hooked

By: Asako Yuzuki, Polly Barton - translator
Narrated by: Ami Okumura Jones
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Summary

THE MILLION COPY #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BUTTER IS BACK WITH A NEW NOVEL OF OBSESSION

‘Tender and thrilling it’s Yuzuki at her best’ ELLE

‘Deliciously satisfying’ iPAPER

‘Enjoyable and addictive’ INDEPENDENT

‘Fantastically dark’ ERIN KELLY

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 in Vogue, Guardian, New York Times, The Times, Sunday Times Style, Elle, Stylist, Grazia and more.

‘Expect to see this distinctive pink cover everywhere’ GRAZIA

‘A psychological thriller with a social commentary bite’ INDEPENDENT

‘Unsettling, compelling, richly written’ JODIE HARSH, author of You Had to Be There

‘Translated with crackling verve’ GUARDIAN

‘I couldn't stop reading’ COSTANZA CASATI, author of Babylonia

‘Stayed with me for weeks’ IRISH TIMES

‘Tremendous – an elegantly written … dissection of female friendship’ THE GLOSS

‘You can’t fail to be reeled in’ SERVICE95

‘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

©2026 Polly Barton (P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers Asian & Pacific Islander Creators City Life Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Urban Women's Fiction World Literature

Critic Reviews

Praise for Hooked:
‘Deliciously satisfying’ iPaper
‘A psychological thriller with a social commentary bite … an uncomfortable yet strangely gripping read … enjoyable and addictive’ Independent
‘Translated with crackling verve by Polly Barton … The unrolling suspense compels, as does the deep dive into both characters and their motives’ Guardian
‘A story I could not put down’ Standard
‘I was practically reading through my fingers’ Daily Mail
‘Subtle, original and thought-provoking … stayed with me for weeks after I had finished it’ Irish Times
‘Hyper-compelling … Yuzuki pinballs between the glib and the strange with arresting intensity’ New Statesman
‘Tender and thrilling it’s Yuzuki at her best’ Elle
‘You can’t fail to be reeled in by Asako Yuzuki’s luminous prose’ Service95
‘Tremendous … stays in your head long after you close it’ The Gloss
‘A must read for fans of smart, twisty fiction’ Sheerluxe
‘Very good … you turn the pages’ Front Row, BBC Radio 4
‘I'd recommend adding it to your reading lists immediately’ Daily Express
‘The kind of book you press into your friends’ hands, desperate to dissect it’ Erin Kelly, author of The House of Mirrors
‘Had me in a headlock. No one writes about the hidden depths and lurking monstrosities of womanhood quite like Asako Yuzuki’ Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller
‘A brilliant, shocking, unforgettable page turner … I couldn't stop reading’ Costanza Casati, author of Babylonia
‘A razor-edged story about women, appetite, and what we’ll do to feel chosen … Safe to say, we’re already hooked’ Oprah Daily
‘A thrilling and deliciously sharp examination of the extremes of female friendship’ Edel Coffey, author of In Glass Houses
‘Dark, tender and unforgettable’ Jane Casey, author of The Secret Room
‘The most stressful fun I’ve ever had reading a book’ Jodie Matthews, author of Meet Me at the Surface
‘This haunting tale of loneliness and longing in the modern age will leave you gasping’ Tobi Coventry, author of He’s the Devil
All stars
Most relevant
Hooked by Asako Yuzuki was a book like no other I've read. It was incredibly unique, and the story left me pondering long after I finished. I found it absolutely fascinating.

Hook, line and sinker!

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I thought Butter was very good, but this earlier book isn't.
The translation is so formal it's stilted. Perhaps Hooked is better in the original language.
The narration is equally formal, and doesn't match the story - one of the main characters is a blogger, the book is set in contemporary times. The formality of the writing and the narration are anything but contemporary.
I skipped entire chapters, and didn't feel as though I missed anything. Nothing moved forward. I was bored. The story, the plotting, the characters, all are uninteresting. The last chapter leaves us pretty much where we'd started. Nothing had changed. A single theme repeated in every chapter, over and over and over (the author also does this in Butter, especially the last third of the book, clearly still doesn't trust reader intelligence!).
if I'd been able to return this book I would have.

Not this

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