Welcome to Litsy!

A novella with layers! It starts with a frame device of sorts--a piece of sensational writing by the titular narrator. Suffering from a debilitating hernia disorder, we see how her inherited wealth allows her to physically exist and allows her curiosity to flourish. Unable to experience "normality" she is drawn to the outer limits of human-ness. But not even the bargain struck with her male, lower-class caregiver can make him see her as a person.

Like many I enjoyed this somewhat strange book of a young disabled woman who periodically tweets her unspeakable thoughts and writes pornography from the safety of the care home she lives in until one day she makes a proposition. The beginning and the end are ambiguous so if you are in search of definites, this is not the book for you. An important book for it‘s shocking but not pitying look at disability, autonomy and sexuality.

Translated from the Japanese. Shaka is in a care home due to her s-shaped spine and the need for assistance with daily tasks such as bathing. She has an active sexual imagination, writing stories and posting online. This slim book is able to bring cutting questions to the forefront: who deserves bodily autonomy, how is power acquired (money/attraction), who can desire. May be autobiographical. Quick and thought provoking read!

It‘s weird, short and raw and I loved it. This one will definitely stay with me.

A quick read that doesn‘t hold back any punches. I liked the unapologetic nature of the narrative - it throws you right into the story and then spits you back out at the end, and doesn‘t wait for you to catch up. It ends as abruptly as it begins and I wanted it to go on longer. But I liked this one from the Booker Intl. longlist a lot.

I read this today. Took 2 hours. My 6th from the International #Booker longlist. It‘s highly regarded.

A heavily disabled woman, with a muscular disorder, dependent on helpers and a ventilator, writes pornographic romances under a pen-name. This is about her looking at her life, and ableist biases, even on book reading, and at her own desires. Unsettling and provoking.
#IB2025

This was a provocative and thought-provoking novel about a woman living with a congenital muscular disorder. Just as I was getting into the story, it ended—abruptly. And honestly, I have no idea what the ending was about. I‘m not quite sure how to rate this book.

A virgin with a disability that keeps her indoors has a filthy inner life and strong resentment of able bodied folks. The narrative voice is so unrelenting and strong that I couldn‘t put it down. I‘m not sure what to do with the ending though. Are you? #manbookerinternational

This is one peculiar book, clocking in at only 90 pages. Through the eyes of the narrator, we learn about the life of severely disabled Shaka, her fantasies, her dreams. She‘s so resentful of able-bodied people, especially when it comes to reading a book which she has so much trouble with. A soft pick for me, I doubt I‘ll be thinking about this again.

Hunchback, by Saou Ichikawa (2023, transl. 2025)

Premise: A woman living with myotubular myopathy navigates complex social and parasocial relationships.

Review: This novella is without a doubt one of the most unique and shocking books I‘ve ever read. Cont.

Finished this a few days ago...“Being able to see; being able to hold a book; being able to turn its pages; being able to maintain a reading posture; being able to go to a bookshop to buy a book-I loathed the exclusionary machismo of book culture that demanded that its participants meet these five criteria of able-bodiedness. I loathed, too, the ignorant arrogance of all those self-professed book-lovers so oblivious to their privilege.”

#WeeklyFavorites

The Hunchback is still lingering in my mind. That‘s why it has to be this week‘s favorite book!
March‘s favorite is Wild Dark Shore.

This is a novella about an disabled woman who can‘t go outside the home she lives in. She connects with the world by writing erotica and tweeting obscene things.
Ichikawa describes what it means to live with a severe handicap in an in-your-face way. You can‘t look away. Extreme and graphic, so well done. Yet I am in need of an explanation of the ending. #InternationalBooker25

#WeeklyForecast 13/25

It‘s all about the #WP25 and the #InternationalBooker25 these days. I am reading The Dream Hotel (WP). Next will be the tagged (IB). The Persians is WP again, as is Nesting that I am listening to.

I was very taken aback by how this book starts, but I‘m glad I continued, as it is part of the exploration of the lived reality of a severely disabled woman confined to a group home. It doesn‘t shy away from what she has to contend with daily while also showing her as a whole person with the same needs and desires as anyone. A tiny book that packs a punch.

If you want an uplifting story with positive representation RUN FOR THE HILLS.

This is a powerful and subversive piece of writing that provokes and challenges the reader to examine the ableism around them.

It explores the realities of living with a severe physical disability and the ramifications on sex, self esteem and fulfillment.

I'm not sure why Enriquez described it as 'uproariously funny'. Stunning nonetheless.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A very raw account of a Japanese woman with a rare disability who resides in a group care facility.

This is not an easy read, it will make you uncomfortable, might even gross you out, but I felt it helped get the author‘s message across: How society dismisses the sexual desires of those suffering with a disability. Ending was unexpected.

Loved!

4.5 ⭐️ #arc

US Pub Date: 3/18/25