REVIEW: Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa

Born with a congenital muscle disorder, Shaka Isawa has severe spine curvature and uses an electric wheelchair and ventilator. Within the limits of her care home, her life is lived online: she studies, she tweets indignantly, she posts outrageous stories on an erotica website. One day, a new male carer reveals he has read it all – the sex, the provocation, the dirt. Her response? An indecent proposal…

Review:

Hunchback is a lot of things — authentic, oddly funny, and above all so, very real. Unflinchingly daring to delve into female sexuality and even more so, the sexuality of a disabled woman when society has deemed it to be inappropriate. It explores the dehumanisation, defeminisation, desexualisation that disabled people experience and stares the reader right in the eyes to challenge the ableism that is almost reflex. At points, Shaka thinks about being pregnant and getting an abortion just because other women can do it too - an extreme example but one that shows her feelings of removed from wider society and wanting to feel connected as a human

It's a short story, not exactly with a clear narrative, or solid ending, but instead felt like a snapshot or a long essay with a confusing writing style that personally at times felt rushed or unfinished, risking the characters feeling caricatures. Moving between a brilliantly brash, outspoken narration from Shaka to erotica that almost felt like it had been ripped from the search history of an 18 year old boy, it was highly jarring and alienating in a both uncomfortable and brilliant way.

And don't get me wrong - you are meant to be uncomfortable reading this; but for the right reasons. Like trying to figure out the morality of the power dynamics between Shaka and her carer. Is there abuse happening? Is there really consent? Does the man who is supposed to be caring for her, or the wealthy woman propositioning him holding the power?

An oddly evocative and thoughtful short story — one you may not like exactly, but you'll definitely remember.

⭐⭐⭐

Hunchback is available from 6th March with Penguin. I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for a review.
This title contains subjects including abortion and sexual content.

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