Hooked - by Asako Yuzuki (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"Translated with crackling verve by Polly Barton, the unrolling suspense [of Hooked] compels, as does the deep dive into both characters and their motives." - The Guardian

"[A] propulsive tale." - NPR

"Mutual fascination gives way to obsession. . . in this novel, translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton." - The New York Times ("Novels Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026")

"Yuzuki's first translated novel, Butter was a delicious literary feat about the complex entanglement of a female journalist and the alleged female serial killer she is writing about and her second translated novel - about female friendship and obsession - promises to be just as engaging" - Forbes ("Weird Girl Lit to Add to Your 2026 TBR")

"The author of the international sensation Butter returns with another razor-edged story about women, appetite, and what we'll do to feel chosen. Hooked pairs two opposites in modern Japan: Eriko, a lonely high achiever with a spotless life, and Shoko, a lifestyle blogger selling cozy chaos. When Eriko engineers a 'chance' friendship, admiration curdles into fixation and both lives start to slide off course. Safe to say, we're already hooked" - Oprah Daily ("31 Most Anticipated Books of 2026")

"Admiration of course devolves into obsession in this tightly wound piece of work... [Hooked] packs a punch." - Cultured ("13 Books Our Editors Can't Wait to Read This Season")

"A hypnotic exploration of the fine line between perception and delusion, and the devastation when a friendship combusts." - BookPage