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.

WINNER OF THE AKUTAGAWA PRIZE '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 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.