Hooked

A Novel of Obsession

By: Asako Yuzuki

Narrated by: Ami Okumura Jones

A Paperback Original

Named a Most Anticipated Book by The New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes, Oprah Daily, Lit Hub, and Publishers Weekly

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 Shoko: 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.

Emotional Rollercoaster

I loved how the story was paced throughout. there wasn't a point that it felt slow or lagged. the relationship between how women feel from various backgrounds, deep feelings of anger and loneliness and the need to feel excepted. this book was outstanding pretrial of these things. the book leaves this bittersweet ending for both female protagonist of this story.

Outstanding

I promise I'm not a bot rating the book I really enjoyed was absolutely great,👍🏾

Brutally beautiful

This might hit a bit too close to home for me, making it hard to get through despite its excellent writing and performance. I lived very similarly to Eriko; no one wanted to be my friend once they knew me. People said I was “too honest,” “too intense,” and found some of my actions creepy—though I had no ill intentions. (I never went as far as she did with blackmail and stalking.) I just didn't know how to interact with others, which led to crashing and eventually giving up. Now, I’ve learned to be myself and not fear being alone. I might have enjoyed this more if it hadn’t triggered memories of the constant rejection I faced in my youth.