While the story is overtly a simple one, Yuzuki’s habit of dropping large philosophical questions with a delicate touch adds depth and richness to the calm, pristine prose ... There is much enjoyable black humour too ... It is a subtle, original and thought-provoking book that stayed with me for weeks after I had finished it.
Deranged ... Yuzuki tells this nail-biting stalker saga through alternating chapters from the third person limited perspectives of Eriko and Shoko ... Though Hooked doesn’t have quite the same sheen as Butter, it’s still a feverishly good time.
I suppose we can forgive the author for the multiple infractions she otherwise commits against good linguistic taste ... A hyper-compelling opening act ... Eventually, however, the pacing falls apart ... While Yuzuki is too busy grappling with the themes and the plot, we end up in a banal linguistic universe ... Yuzuki pinballs between the glib and the strange with arresting intensity. It’s a good story, let down at the sentence level.
All of this could be interesting fodder for a psychological thriller but it’s told in prose that reads like sterile therapy speak ... Authorial uncertainty bleeds through the book’s message — or lack thereof. Throughout, we are treated to constant repetitive ruminations on female friendship ... She gets hopelessly tangled in her own arguments.
Starts strong ... It’s an uncomfortable read, but not in the way it’s meant to be. It simmers with discomfort but never quite tips into any major event ... What Yukumi does brilliantly is drip-feed serious cultural analysis into a compelling story. But as the book went on, I found myself longing for it to end. A pity.
