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THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

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

‘Deliciously satisfying’
iPAPER

‘Enjoyable and addictive’
INDEPENDENT

‘Fantastically dark’ ERIN KELLY

The thrilling 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, Shoko. Shoko’s posts about convenience-store food and her messy home are the opposite of the typical manicured housewife. When Eriko tracks Shoko down at her favourite restaurant, Shoko is at first charmed by her new companion. But soon Eriko’s obsession with Shoko 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

Publisher Review

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 'I have been glued to Butter' Nigel Slater 'I really enjoyed it' Meera Syal, on BBC Between the Covers 'Compelling, delightfully weird' Pandora Sykes, author of How Do We Know We're Doing It Right? 'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' Erin Kelly, author of Broadchurch 'A heady serving of food culture and feminism ... Yuzuki goes beyond the typical crime narrative' Japan Times