Hooked: A Novel of Obsession

by Asako Yuzuki, Polly Barton (Translator)

From the author of the international bestseller Butter comes a chilling and perceptive novel about obsession, female friendship, and the slow unraveling of two lives.

Eriko’s life looks perfect—from her prestigious job at a Japanese trading firm to her spotless apartment and devoted parents. Her newest project, to reintroduce the controversial Nile Perch into the Japanese market, is as ambitious as she is. But beneath her flawless surface lies a consuming loneliness. Eriko has never been able to hold on to a real friend.

Enter a popular lifestyle blogger whose work Eriko follows obsessively. Shoko lives a life of controlled chaos—messy apartment, take-out dinners, a kind, easy-going husband. She writes about daily contentment, though her fractured relationship with her father gnaws at the edges of her happiness.

When Eriko orchestrates a “chance” meeting with Shoko, the two women strike up an unlikely connection. For a fleeting moment, Eriko believes she’s finally found what she’s always longed for. But as her fascination turns to fixation and Shoko’s carefully balanced life begins to dissolve, both women are pushed to breaking points neither of them saw coming.

Deftly translated by Polly Barton, Hooked is a taut, provocative novel about modern womanhood, the hunger for connection, and the quiet, ordinary ways our lives can spiral out of control. With razor-sharp insight and disarming empathy, Asako Yuzuki explores how far we’ll go to be seen and what happens when the ones who see us don’t like what they find.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Japanese Literature, Thriller, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Asia

400 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2015

About the author

Asako Yuzuki (柚木 麻子, Yuzuki Asako) is a Japanese writer. She won the All Yomimono Prize for New Writers and the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize. Asako has been nominated multiple times for the Naoki Prize, and her novels have been adapted for television, radio, and film.

Reviews

[leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

less of a thriller and more of a character study of two lonely women living in tokyo.

the novel’s primary theme is female friendships and how hard these can be to form and cultivate, especially in adulthood. it touches on a lot of the themes we’ve come to expect from japanese fiction through its exploration of women in contemporary japan: rigid gender roles, marriage, parental expectations, loneliness, the struggle of human connection, work etc.

the characterisation was done well, eriko was truly an abhorrent character that i wanted to slap, and shoko was grating too. but by the end you do start to feel sorry for both women, which i think is testament to yuzuki’s ability to craft unlikeable but undeniably human and complex characters.

i wish the obsession theme had been expanded a little more, there is definitely an element of foreboding running throughout, but i was expecting it to lead up to something more explosive and unhinged. a few subplots and characters felt a bit random and didn’t add much to the overall storyline, and i think the book could’ve been trimmed down as it did become repetitive at certain points. i haven’t read butter by this author which i know is very popular, but maybe i’ll give it a try.

[jaimie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars feels a bit harsh for this since I really enjoyed Butter, but I think the whole concept of this fell a bit flat. The whole jist of the story is that all of the women in it are unlikable and terrible at maintaining female friendships and even their own relationships, because women are inherently catty and gossipy therefore how could they ever form meaningful relationships? In every single conversation between two women in this book, they CONSTANTLY bring up how they don’t have female friends and how women are difficult to get along with. I just found the whole concept so boring and repetitive by the end of the book.

Now, the stalking and blackmail aspect to this book really sped up the plot which was very much needed. The only thing is I don’t think it was used to its full potential, it wasn’t developed on enough as it could have been. I would have loved to see at least one of the women in this story going full on unhinged instead of teetering on the edge for chapters on end.

I honestly felt quite sorry for Eriko by the end of the book. She doesn’t know why she can’t form relationships with anyone, she is just a very intense person and unfortunately people are easily put off by her. No, she doesn’t help herself by literally blackmailing someone she considers her ‘best friend’ who she barely knows to go on a spa break with her for a few days. But I find it so mean that her boss, her coworkers, even her PARENTS find her insufferable to be around and tell her this TO HER FACE! No wonder she was going crazy, wouldn’t you?!

I can appreciate what Yuzuki was trying to do with this book, and I love that it was once again female centred just like Butter; you could even argue that there are even less key male characters in this book and they are mostly plot devices. I just think that I wanted more from such an intense idea, and I am left frustrated at this.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think from the summary, telling us that the book is about Eriko's obsession with Shoko, a blogger, and that she is determined to become her best friend, and from having read and enjoyed Butter last year, I expected the book to read very much like a thriller, and I found it was maybe more of a psychological study. Which maybe Butter was as well in a way.
With Hooked, the intrigue starts at a very good pace... what we knew would happen (Eriko going to extremes and being all stalkerish to keep her new friend) happens within the first 10-20% of the book. After that, things escalate a bit but then they kind of stall. There's a lot of chapters where not much happens and we just follow the characters thoughts. There are a few themes going on, friendship, success, parental attention... But the message didn't feel super clear to me, and I didn't feel as invested as when I started reading. It's a shame because the translation is great - Polly Barton... as always, never disappoints and bonus points for the fish puns and references, I have no idea what they could have been in Japanese but they were very smooth in the English text!
So a bit of a mixed bag but with great moments.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

[Cooper]

DNFd at 50%

This was a let down since Butter is one of my favourite books, but this was aimless and heavy handed with the exposition dumping, it spent too much time explaining itself.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Di questo libro ho apprezzato soprattutto l’ampio spazio riservato all’introspezione dei personaggi. Nel complesso, ritengo che valga la pena leggerlo per il modo acuto in cui l'autrice esplora il desiderio di connessione, che poi finisce per diventare un tentativo di possesso, tra donne profondamente sole e isolate.

Peccato per gli innumerevoli errori di battitura presenti nell'edizione italiana.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come

[Mirella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Partenza coinvolgente, poi ho avuto l'impressione che si perdesse un po', senza saper bene cosa fare con tutto quel materiale umano. Uno sviluppo un po' sprecato.

[Mana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eriko’s life looks flawless; her career, her immaculate apartment, everything on the surface gleams. But inside, she’s empty. She can’t hold on to a single real friendship, no matter how hard she tries. So she turns her attention to Shoko, a lifestyle blogger whose messy home and easy happiness start to fascinate her. At first, Eriko tries to connect in a calculated, careful way. Then things slide into obsession, and suddenly it’s not about friendship at all. This isn’t a story about violence; it’s sharper than that. It’s about how loneliness makes us hungry for other people’s lives, how we try to fill our own emptiness by consuming someone else’s world.

Yuzuki's primary character is difficult to like, which is intentional. Eriko exemplifies the psychopathology of a modern overachiever; she has mastered everything but being human. Shoko, on the other hand, is all chaos and authenticity. She’s the mirror Eriko can’t look away from, the life Eriko envies and eventually threatens to disrupt. The story isn’t really about growing into better people. It’s about stripping away the masks we wear, even when it hurts. Shoko’s husband and the other supporting characters stand in the background, quiet but steady, highlighting just how frantic Eriko’s fixation becomes.

The book explores what friendship looks like in the modern era, when everything is staged for viewers. It emphasizes how much we crave attention, even if it means that no one truly knows us. We shape ourselves into products, then wonder why our relationships feel so thin and brittle. There’s real anxiety here about what happens when intimacy turns into a transaction. If you treat someone as a project, everyone loses. It made me think about how much of our own happiness is just built on silent, constant comparison with strangers online.

The writing and Polly Barton’s translation match Eriko’s cold precision. There’s no sugarcoating, no softness. The tone stays cool and watchful, never drifting into sentimentality. The story doesn’t rush. It tightens slowly, like a knot you can’t undo. There’s no jump-scare moment, just a creeping realization that things have gone too far. It fits right in with the works of Sayaka Murata or Mieko Kawakami, finding the weirdness in everyday life, that uncanny feeling under the mundane.

The novel doesn’t pretend that envy and loneliness are pretty or easily fixed. There’s no neat ending, no easy moral. You just watch as a life unravels, thread by thread, because it’s built on copying someone else. It’s a sharp warning: sometimes the most dangerous obsessions hide behind the search for friendship.

I finished it feeling unsettled, honestly; a little too aware of how thin that line is between interest and obsession, especially in the routines we barely notice.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

" So preoccupied had she been by other people's expectations that she'd never really asked herself what she'd like to do."

Hooked by Asako Yuzuki is a fascinating read. A deep exploration of identity and friendships- in some senses it feels like a fictionalised sociological study.

A lot of Japanese fiction has a melancholy and introspective feel- a society examining the implications of lives lived in metropolises where making connections with others is a challenge ( that could be said about most global cities) and life evolves around screens- laptop and phone

This is the story of two women - neither fully satisfied in their supposed 'perfect lives. Eriko is from a successful family and is. high flyer at work but she has no true friends- she becomes obsessed with the online blog of Shōko - a housewife who talks about an unconventional life - one that isn't perfection.

Eriko finds herself obsessively drawn to Shōko and when she attempts to make friends with her 'online- fascination' things turn darker and twisted. Some scenes really do leave you feeling truly unsettled but ultimately concerned as to how events go to certain stages

This is a novel about that builds up in the first half then begins to lose a sense of direction and moves into more of a psychological exploration of womanhood and friendship in Japan- the power and isolation of social media; fulfilling the expectation of societal group norms- looks, where you eat etc..and ultimately how you can live against your true self trying to become what others expect you to be.

Both Eriko and Shōko are victims of family, society and wider influences. Both want to be a truer version of themselves.

This is a book that needs talking about and surely will.

Polly Barton's translation is superb.

Having not read 'Butter " I cannot say if this will disappoint or continue admiration - one thing is for sure that a wider dialogue is needed about how isolation in society is increasing for all groups and influences by wider sources are impacting on so many - women and men -and not in a positive way

3.5 out of 5

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for the ARC of 'Hooked'!

'Hooked' is a novel that explores female friendship, familial relationships, self perception and most prominently, the expectations of women in Japanese society from within and without. It explores what this pressure makes women think of themselves and of others, as well as how these perceptions shape their actions and lives more broadly.

I loved the start of this book, and I liked the end of this book. The middle dragged a bit for me, unfortunately. From the subject matter, I expected things to get weird and messed up. And they did at times, but not really in the ways I expected! However, the bulk of the novel was mostly introspection from the two main characters, who changed their minds and came to minor epiphanies that they each seemed to instantly disregard or forget about for the most part.

Every single character in this novel is flawed to some extent - some more than others! There were definitely parts where I could relate to each of the two main characters but some of their traits and flaws ended up quite exaggerated and watching some of their decisions play out felt like watching a car crash where you know the end result is going to be awful but you can't turn away.

At one point, all of the women in the novel were so awful (by design, obviously!) that I started wondering whether the author has some incredibly sexist views (depite being female herself, I believe). However, the men were awful too so I guess it's more of a commentary on the complex nature of humans and how societal expectations shape us all and contribute to our behaviours. I can only think of one character is the whole novel who seemed 'good' and uncomplicated.

I still enjoyed this book overall but it just felt a bit longer than it needed to be.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hooked is a Japanese novel about friendship and obsession, as a lonely woman gets the chance to befriend her favourite blogger. Eriko has a job at a top company, where she's working on reintroducing Nile perch to Japan, but outside of work, she lives with her parents and doesn't have any friends. She does love reading one housewife blog, about a woman who is not a perfect housewife, Shoko. When Eriko and Shoko meet, Eriko believes she has found her best friend, but the course of friendship isn't so simple.

Having really enjoyed Butter, I was excited for this book. Unfortunately, I don't think it lived up to my expectations, as a lot of the tense elements of the plot happen quite early on, and then the book stays quite one-note, repeating a lot of the same things and not quite feeling like it went further. I liked how it built up excruciating encounters between different characters, really making you feel how obsessive and uneven these interactions were, but I expected the plot to go a bit further, and instead it seemed to hold back. I also think that the book is being marketed around the fish selling (and the housewife blogging) aspects because these seem to fit in with Butter's plot and lush description, but for me these elements didn't have the same impact as Butter.

Overall, I think that Hooked is a fascinating look at obsession in friendships and how people relate to the world, but I was also a bit let down by it. I wanted it to delve deeper into the obsessions and how people reacted to them, and I found the plot too repetitive and lacking in tension.

[Holly Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up as a proof copy from Ink and Ember and I was intrigued to see what the author’s writing was like. I do have to say that I enjoyed the writing and the concept itself! I’m just not a fan of stories that are very character based with little to no plot.

We follow Eriko and Shoko and all seems ok at first. But then it becomes clear that Eriko is stalking Shoko and going to extreme lengths that seem creepy and bizarre to us. But what I found intriguing was Eriko’s reasoning behind it all- it all seemed so reasonable, but then at the same time it wasn’t! I liked this part a lot because whilst we can’t imagine doing the behaviours, it still makes the characters realistic and human.

I liked Eriko more than Shoko. Shoko was equally not the greatest lady- lots of flaws and her own insecurities. Both struggle to make friends and both have a somewhat warped sense of society. Eriko I felt more for because she seemed lost and needed support and serious reflection. I liked Eriko’s journey a lot and I was satisfied by the ending. I also enjoyed the references to the fish- sympathising with the predators, with the villain. It was a unique perspective that I enjoy.

However, there was very little actual plot. It did feel at one point about 2 thirds of the way in that a lot of what was being said had been repeated or analysed way too thoroughly- this was what I didn’t enjoy. I have to admit that I got bored reading this novel. It works well in the beginning and end for sure, but the middle almost made me skip through it all.

[Mitsy_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to be honest. I am a little disappointed. It’s a thought-provoking novel that explores challenges in female friendships and human connections, and how societal expectations placed on women affect those relationships. But it didn’t grip me the way Butter did.

Just like Butter, the synopsis of Hooked might give the impression that it’s a thriller or mystery, but it really isn’t. Things get a little creepy very early in the book, and after that not much actually happens. Instead, the story focuses on exploring the central themes mentioned above through the two women’s POVs.

Since this book was published in Japan a few years before Butter, it’s not a case of the author trying to repeat the same idea and failing. Rather, it feels like the publisher looked for a book from the author’s catalogue that was similar to Butter. What made Butter more compelling, in my opinion, was the mysterious female criminal and the dynamic between her and the journalist protagonist. Hooked, unfortunately, lacks similarly intriguing or enigmatic characters. The dynamic between the two FMCs just wasn’t engaging or relatable to me. So I feel like the book was a bit disappointing in that sense.

That said, my disappointment comes mostly from comparing it to Butter. This is by no means a bad book. It’s actually a thoughtful and profound novel. If you’re interested in stories about female friendships or feminist themes, I would still recommend it.

3.5-4 🌟

[Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi ha attratto come un magnete silenzioso.
Sentivo un’urgenza sottile: entrare nella mente di Eriko, ascoltare il flusso dei suoi pensieri, capire l’origine della sua ossessione, il perché di quel vuoto che sembrava divorare ogni cosa.
Eriko non si osserva soltanto: si attraversa, come una stanza buia in cui si ha paura di restare troppo a lungo.

Dall’altra parte c’è Shoko. Con lei ho avvertito subito una connessione istintiva. Il suo blog era una boccata d’aria: leggero, libero, privo di pressioni e di colpa. Con Shoko potevo abbassare le difese, lasciarmi andare senza il peso del giudizio, come se le sue parole concedessero il permesso di respirare.

Il finale è stato inaspettato, e lo ammetto: mi ha sorpreso profondamente. Soprattutto perché ci si chiede, quasi in modo automatico, se la vita di Shoko sia stata davvero rovinata da Eriko.

Eppure, leggendo con attenzione, emerge una verità più scomoda. Tutte le scelte di Shoko, quelle che l’hanno condotta a diventare una persona terribile, non hanno nulla a che vedere con Eriko. Perché, in fondo, Shoko ed Eriko si somigliano più di quanto si voglia ammettere: due specchi che si riflettono, due solitudini che si confondono, due colpe che non possono essere attribuite a nessun altro.

[sus ⊹⟡₊⋆∘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come già nel suo precedente libro, Asako Yuzuki ha creato in questo romanzo due personaggi che mi creano forti emozioni contrastanti: da una parte le prenderei a ceffoni, in altri momenti, dall'altra le abbraccerei forte. Probabilmente è anche tutta una questione di differenze culturali e quindi ottica e abitudini diverse a livello proprio di società e priorità.
In generale comunque è un libro che a parer mio fa molto riflettere sui rapporti tra donne, e in particolare sul concetto di amicizia, sia fra queste che in generale. È qualcosa su cui in effetti non ci soffermiamo mai abbastanza e spesso (come, per fortuna, nel mio caso) diamo troppo per scontato. Ho apprezzato anche la riflessione sulla difficoltà - oggi più che mai - di crearsi una vita, che sia a livello lavorativo, ma anche sentimentale, relazionale, e anche solo di abitudini e equilibrio emotivo, anche nei propri trent'anni.

[Maggie Walch · Rating 3 out of 5]

oooooh oooh so much to say - here goes.
famously, I loved butter. So famously that the second this arc arrived at work, my name was on it! The joys :)
I think the premise of this book was so excellent, and it was really well written and fleshed out in the middle - the stalking, the blackmail, the literal insanity these two women were portraying. It was riveting!
However, I felt the pacing fell a bit flat towards the end. Not to say that it wasn’t important, because some of the characters’ most profound feelings and “revelations” came during this time, when they were both dealing with outside influences. It just went on for ages and ages, and constantly repeating the “this is why I can’t make female friends” line lowkey got a bit exhausting, but maybe I missed something there. I’m interested to see what other people think when it comes out because I know I have a lot more to say when it isn’t so late and I can think straighter

[Nicki Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked was a compelling read from start to finish. I was deeply invested in the characters and their journeys as the story progressed, perhaps in part because I struggle to form close female friendships myself, so I could understand where the characters were coming from. The story covered a number of themes and aspects of modern life, looking at how friendship can easily become competition and the need to compare. I actually enjoyed this one even more than Yuzuki's early, lauded work Butter. But perhaps that is just because this one resonated with me more on a personal level. I appreciate Yuzuki's ability to tackle complex issues in a way that feels reflective and questioning rather than preachy. I am giving this one 4.5 stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody writes about obsession quite like Asako Yuzuki! 'Hooked' is both gripping and slightly unnerving, the story explores loneliness, relationships, and the lives we create for others to see. Yuzuki examines how a friendship can quickly move from curiosity to fixation, as well as how fragile adult relationships can be when shaped by comparison and expectation.

The characters can often be difficult and frustrating to read, I wanted to reach into the book and shake them, Yuzuki writes these characters so well thatyou cannot help but become invested in their stories.

I also enjoyed 'Butter', and while Hooked feels somewhat more literary than thriller, it explores similar themes to 'Butter' such as desire, loneliness, and self-delusion. As always, Polly Barton’s translation is brilliant! I think this novel will be a huge hit when it is released!
*Bookseller proof from publisher*

[Alessia Dragne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read this in Italian since apparently it was released before the English one. I loved this book, I loved how deeply were written the protagonists, with their distinctive personalities that yet share similarities. yuzuki’s books are not about love interests but about the difficulties of womanhood in a society where women are always looked down upon and relegated to only support and domestic roles. She talks about mental health, the longing obsession of fitting in, craving friendly companionship and how hard it is to find friends. It is about loneliness and how it can mentally affect you and your actions without even knowing. It is in the end about finding yourself and who you actually want to be without considering the Japanese socia expectations. I will cherish all asako yuzuki books and can’t wait to read more of them

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a loose and meandering story that was less sinister and more of a family tale than I expected from the blurb. In lots of ways it touches on all the hot topics of female-authored Japanese fiction: gender roles, female friendship, negotiations with parents, loneliness and the fleeting nature of connections, food and body image, marriage and work. Both Shoko and Eriko start off envying each other's life; each faces up to their problems and learns life lessons in the process. I found this perfectly pleasant with some interesting scenes of Japanese life but it's not the sharp page-turner I'd looked forward to - sorry!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was everything
i loved it start to end
i think It's really interesting how women and female friendships are seen in Japan
sometimes i wanted to hug these two girls, sometimes i wanted to scream at them
i think this is a beautiful book which explores emotions like loneliness, love, and most in general human interactions
i really reccomend it to everyone especially women, remembering it is set in japan where the culture is really different from ours and from what we are used to

[♡•Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yippee to early bookseller access! 🥳 I don't typically read contemporary Japanese fiction (nor did I ever read Butter) but I thoroughly enjoyed this one! This is one of those books which starts from quite a simple premise, but develops into a captivating and nuanced story with lots of interesting and relevant social commentary. Definitely need to experiment with more from this genre this year!

[Claudia Prieto-Piastro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book as much as I loved Butter. I was intrigued by the characters and their relationship and the unexpected twists and turns of the plot. Some descriptions felt repetitive and could be shorter, but overall, the book presents a well-thought reflection on the complexity of female friendship under patriarchal social structures; loneliness and family life.

[Kosuke Kamiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

あらすじ
商社で働く志村栄利子は愛読していた主婦ブロガーの丸尾翔子と出会い意気投合。
だが他人との距離感をうまく掴めない彼女をやがて翔子は拒否。執着する栄利子は
悩みを相談した同僚の男と寝たことが婚約者の派遣女子にばれ、とんでもない約束を
させられてしまう。一方、翔子も実家に問題を抱え。
不器用に生きる二人の未来に一縷の光は見いだせるのか。

感想
執筆中

[Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

“女人那種即使短短的一瞬也要像焰火一樣光芒耀眼，這種天生的社交性，以及每個小小的約定——即使不一定真的會有下次，也許不能從根本上解決問題，但確實拯救了許許多多的人，數都數不清吧。回到剛才的話題上，兩個從前的好朋友站在那裡起勁兒地說著話，這時候從旁邊蹬過去一輛自行車，兩個高中女生合騎在上面……這兩個人一定會心裡感到一陣輕鬆，由衷地露出會心的微笑，如果能擁有這樣的瞬間，不是也會很幸福嗎？”

[Lewis Joan Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

記憶是美好的，尤其是榮利子和翔子的初次相遇。但也許是美好的想象，在接下來的日子裏變得尤為炫目，榮利子無法割舍與翔子的友誼。
感觸最深的是擁有完美人生的榮利子竟然沒有一個朋友。
我們如果用自己的準則要求他人，特別是自己的朋友，未免也太苛刻，因為我們自己都不一定達標。
朋友的定義是什麼？利榮子僅僅與翔子打過四五次照面，就認定翔子是她的朋友，是太孤單了吧？

[Yasuko · Rating 5 out of 5]

途中で一度読むのがしんどくなって、とまってしまってしばらく放っておいたのだけど、再開した後はそれまで読んでいた印象と全く違った。もう一度読み返そうと思う。今のところ印象しか書けないが、後半とても良かった。

[Fiammetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[emily]

give me the arc nowwwwwww

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

....menomale alla fine tutto si è sistemato in qualche modo.