Saou Ichikawa: Hunchback

Saou Ichikawa’s Hunchback is a beautiful, dark, twisted novella. The book focuses on Izawa Shaka who suffers from myotubular myopathy. She depends on an electric wheelchair to move around, a ventilator to breathe, and a nurse to give her a bath. Her body is trapped, but her mind is running wild. Shaka writes about threesome porn, tweets about wanting to get pregnant so she can get an abortion, and wants to do normal things like a normal girl. Translated into English by Polly Barton, every detail in this 90-page book burned into my fucking brain. I didn’t know a category for disability literature existed, but Hunchback is a groundbreaking literature period. If you have a few hours to spend this winter holiday, read this book.