Hooked: A Novel of Obsession

Eriko appears to have an ideal life: a prestigious job at a Japanese trading firm, a spotless apartment, and devoted parents. She is working on an ambitious project to reintroduce the Nile Perch into the Japanese market. However, she struggles with consuming loneliness and has never been able to maintain a real friendship. Eriko becomes obsessed with Shoko, a popular lifestyle blogger. Shoko's life contrasts sharply with Eriko's—her apartment is messy, she orders take-out, and she has a kind, easy-going husband. Though Shoko writes about daily contentment, she carries a fractured relationship with her father. When Eriko arranges a "chance" meeting with Shoko, an unlikely connection forms. Eriko believes she has finally found the friendship she has always wanted. As Eriko's fascination deepens into fixation, however, Shoko's carefully balanced life begins to fall apart, pushing both women toward breaking points neither anticipated. Translated by Polly Barton, this novel examines obsession, female friendship, modern womanhood, and the hunger for connection. It explores how lives can spiral out of control in quiet, ordinary ways.