Idol, Burning

INNER OF THE 2021 AKUTAGAWA PRIZE

A bestselling and award-winning Japanese phenomenon - about obsession, pop culture and fandom

'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 - until he disgraces himself and Akari's world goes into a tailspin.

'Usami so successfully depicts the consequences of pure obsession' - Guardian

'Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what it is like to be a teenage girl' - Catherine Prasifka

'Rin Usami writes as if under a spell — not evil but a kind of magic. I can't wait to read her next work, to see how the spell evolves. New writers should never feel they are boxed in, they should continually stretch and redefine the boundaries of the novel. That's the right kind of magic' — Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman