There isn’t really a story to Hunchback. A middle-aged woman with severe spinal curvature and a muscle disorder, who has to use a wheelchair and ventilator as a result, writes erotic fiction under a pseudonym online and posts provocative tweets like “I’d like to know what it’s like to have an abortion”. After we get to know what her day-to-day is like at the care home, something happens to her towards the end of the novella and then it’s over.
Despite winning the Akutagawa Prize (which doesn’t seem to take much apparently), there was very little I appreciated about Saou Ichikawa’s Hunchback. It’s insightful into the existence of someone with this condition (Ichikawa herself has the same illnesses as the narrator Shaka) and is written in clear, accessible prose.
Otherwise, Hunchback just isn’t very interesting. There’s no story, Shaka comes off as quite a bitter person (perhaps understandable given her lot in life) and isn’t much fun to spend time with, and the book as a whole is a bit depressing. Typical of Japanese fiction as well is the sentimental ending - which was also confusing in this instance.
The only other good thing about Hunchback is how quick a read it is, although, given how little I got out of it, it’s not really a recommendation to pick up just to get through it fast - better not to bother to begin with.
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