Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

194 reviews

aliennnn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Suicide, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Suicide attempt

carla20's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really enjoyed the first half of the story. Yozo was a very introspective and self reflecting character since he was a child, but as he grows older, he seems to burry himself deeper in his own view of the world, and misses that self awareness he had at the beggining of his life. As an adult, he brings nothing but tragedy to the people around him, specially women. His view of women and their role in society revolves around his very limited vision of the world and seems to fundamentally blame women of everything that goes wrong in his life. I found it fascinating that almost everyone around him seemed to exempt him of his faults and put the blame on someone else, but I guess is the consequence of Yozo constantly faking what he really thinks and feels. 
I liked that the final message of the books was that "everything passes".

Spoiler

Even though Yozo's ending was tragic, the overall message that no matter how hard life gets, it will pass, was strangely conforting in a novel so dark.

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I will definitely pick up the author's other books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

anni_o's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Protagonist / Writer of the Notebooks is rather sexist. I guess it is a product of its time, but it sure did not age well. The prose is beautiful in parts, and a mix of vague and too detailed in others. The insight into his depressive episodes was very meaningful/insightful, and it was a rather quick read. I related to the protagonist in part, especially with the view of the world, but in other parts it was frustrating to see him spiral further and further. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Sexism, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Self harm, Rape, Vomit, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Death, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Ableism, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Grief

doubledevelo's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual harassment

frogwithafrog's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Addiction, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

radiosys's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It might be a tough read for people who have/had suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors, so remember to take breaks if you need it everyone<3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Body shaming, Medical content, Chronic illness, and Blood

Minor: Grief, Infidelity, and Adult/minor relationship

rionardo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is incredilby depressing and deals with hard topics. While reading I found myself relating to the main character, but I also hated and despised him throughout the book. I also felt bad for him. Still one of my favorite books and has a big impact on me and what I think about mental illnesses.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Infidelity

Minor: Death of parent

netylu's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Japoniškai ši knyga vadinasi Ningen shikkaku. Pavadinimo reikšmė artimesnė lietuviškam vertimui nei angliškam. Šiaip ar taip, pavadinimas atskleidžia pagrindinę knygos temą - ką reiškia būti žmogumi visuomenėje?

Spoiler

Dienoraščių autorių nuolat lydimas atskirties jausmo ir baimės, kad kas nors pažvelgs į jo vidų ir pamatys, jog jis nesugeba pritapti. Jaunystėje autorius speliasi už juokdario kaukės. Tada puola į svaigalus ir prostitučių glėbį, slopinantį baimes. Supratęs, jog "visuomenė galimai yra individas", jis ima mažiau dėmesio kreipti į kitų žmonių (galimas ir esamas) reakcijas. Vėl puola svaigintis. Dienoraščių autorius galutinai atskiriamas nuo visuomenės, kai jį uždaro į psichiatrinę ligoninę. Nusidėjėliai - dar žmonės, bet pamišėliams visuomenėje ne vieta. Jie diskvalifikuoti, pralaimėję, nebesipriešinantys likimui ir kitų valiai. Argi ne keista? Atrodo, visuomenė tik ir reikalauja pritapti, bet vos pasiduodi, tampi nebe žmogus.

Pirmą kartą šią knygą skaičiau anglų kalba. Tuomet ją skaityti buvo sunku. Tačiau šįkart knyga pasirodė mažiau niūri ir slegianti. Matyt, dėl kalbos.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse

Minor: Rape and Suicide attempt

_azure76's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Minor: War and Vomit

golpesar818's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

considering this book within the imperialist context of post WWII Japan, i found this book to be even more unsettling and depressing, because then i started to feel like Yozo’s character represents postwar Japanese society broadly  (i.e kinda like how Yozo, in his many attempts to understand society, asks “what is society?” and answers: “a society is just an individual”). yes,
he’s a patriarchal misogynist. his hatred of women is overt. he experiences multiple overlapping dependencies and isolations, he is not very likeable, but what’s even scarier, he is dangerously recognizable in SOME specific ways. namely his social anxiety. it’s all very banality of evil. overall though, by the end of the book i felt that the title “no longer human” or “disqualified as human” suggests to me that his loss of humanity (attributed to his psychiatric institutionalization), much like his many desires to unalive himself, is systemic. i don’t normally read “classic” literature but appreciated the vibe shift even though this book medium key fucked me up. major tw that i listed below. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Mental illness, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Misogyny