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Idol, Burning

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Idol, Burning

By: Rin Usami, Asa Yoneda - translator
Narrated by: Mirai Booth-Ong
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THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE 2020 AKUTAGAWA PRIZE

'My oshi was on fire. Word was he'd punched a fan'

High-school student Akari has only one passion in her life: her oshi, her idol. His name is Masaki Ueno, best known as one-fifth of Japanese pop group Maza Maza.

Akari’s dedication to her oshi consumes her days completely. She keeps a blog entirely devoted to him, religiously chronicling and analysing all his events. He is the spine of her life; she cannot survive without him. When Masaki is rumoured to have assaulted a female fan, facing waves of social media backlash, Akari’s world falls apart.

Offering a vivid insight into otaku culture and adolescence, Idol, Burning is a brilliantly gripping story of obsession, coming of age and the addictive, relentless nature of fandom culture.

 Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction
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Critic reviews

"Usami so successfully depicts the consequences of pure obsession"
"[Idol, Burning] cracked a door open into an intense world of obsession . . . essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what it is like to be a teenage girl, where priorities are skewed, emotions are high, and everything feels like it's life or death" (CATHERINE PRASIFKA)
"A vivid depiction of the joys and despairs of teenage fan culture, Idol, Burning is urgent and all-consuming . . . In this passionate and compassionate novel, the voice of teenage desperation sings out" (KATIE HALE)
"A short but mighty novel that sheds a light on the world of superfans, obsession and the dangers of building your identity around a phenomenon that can disappear in a second . . . Usami’s novel lifts the lid on the unique world of fandom and ‘stan’ culture in Japan"
"Compelling and unsettling in equal measure, Idol, Burning is a pitch-perfect insight into how confusing and exhausting modern life can feel to young women today."
"Idol, Burning is a window into the world of teenage obsession and the dark places it can venture to . . . This is like nothing else I've read"
"Praise for Rin Usami: Pure brilliance" (TOSHIYUKI HORIE, author of THE BEAR AND THE PAVING STONE)
"Poignant" (YOKO OGAWA, author of THE MEMORY POLICE)
"[Usami's] writing is extremely fresh and she has high literary ability" (Akutagawa Prize Judges)
All stars
Most relevant
I got nothing from this book. It was just a childish story of a fan of a singer, yet didn't offer much more in the way of meaning or nuance. It tried to with the assault storyline but that was poorly executed and weak. I can't believe this terrible book sold so well, it really is just a completely forgettable story.

Childish and uninteresting

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