Editing Hooked: A Novel of Obsession (section)

==Reception==

The English translation received broadly positive notices. ''The Guardian'' praised Barton's translation as rendering the novel's suspense with considerable energy, and commended the depth of characterisation. ''BookPage'' described it as "a hypnotic exploration of the fine line between perception and delusion, and the devastation when a friendship combusts." ''The Conversation'' called it "a biting tale of female loneliness and obsession" and situated it within growing scholarly and journalistic attention to social isolation among Japanese women.

The novel was named a most anticipated book by ''The New York Times'', which described it as a novel of mutual fascination giving way to obsession; ''Oprah Daily'' included it in its list of the 31 most anticipated books of 2026; and ''Forbes'' highlighted it as part of a wave of so-called "weird girl lit" in translation.

Some reviewers noted that the novel does not quite replicate the sustained intensity of ''Butter'', with a handful finding the central section slow and the escalation insufficiently sharp. The consensus, however, was that it confirmed Yuzuki as a major voice in contemporary Japanese fiction and Barton as one of the foremost translators of Japanese literary prose into English.