Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Indigno de ser humano by Osamu Dazai

49 reviews

profjiggly's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Thank you Osamu Dazai for the newest weirdest addition to my “he’s just like me fr” list.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, and Rape

Minor: Death of parent

wildelwrcase's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-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

4.5

As a whole this book is a strange, visceral read. It’s almost comical in it’s depravity and wallowing and yet I cannot help but be utterly gripped by it. 

I was worried going in that the long bouts of depressing inner monologues would be absolutely exhausting, but they ended up being some of the most deeply resounding things for me. I absolutely adore the prose in this book. I absolutely flew through it because not only is it short, but every line just pulls you further down into it's own depraved world. I don't know if that is a compliment for some, but it made me thoroughly enjoy it.

Relating to the main character feels so wrong, the words Dazai uses to describe his own depression are so uninhibited, raw, and relatable to anyone who's experience a similar illness. But it also brings feeling of disgust, for the situations the character is in, for his decisions, and worst of all for yourself for being able to relate to it. It sticks you into the mind of a man so ill that he's been institutionalized and forces you to contend with the fact, that you bear fundamental similarities. Then you have to contend with the fact that his bleak outlook on life, is not that different to yours. It's a different kind of pain and one that is absolutely addicting to read.

The closest reading experience I could compare it to would probably be the Metamorphosis by Kafka. But the greatest difference between the books (one that makes me prefer Dazai's) is how personal it is. Gregor is a tragic character, but there is also an undeniable distance between Gregor and the reader. The narrator is very separate from the situation, and while tragic it's also ultimately contained. No Longer Human offers no such comfortable rift. Dazai himself is telling you every detail about why he want to kill himself and how his brain is such a torturous place to live, and the only way to escape it is to have never read it at all.

Highly recommend if you are in the right headspace, but even if you are this book has a good chance of making you spiral in some way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, and Abandonment

hapikohw's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5 stars. This was written very well, and tells quite the sad tale. When human beings get like this, they are still important.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

daynacruz01's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual assault and Blood

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment

vixenreader's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

Boy, this book is bleak. However, the level of cruelty is not as exaggerated as the manga adaptation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, and War

A lot of trauma is between the lines, especially in his childhood. Also, if you experience anxiety and depression, brace yourself for a difficult read.

cait's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

fairyribs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation

lilly_anne's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. It is clear that it is meant to make the reader feel uncomfortable and at that it is rather successful. But overall I found this book to be mostly boring with a few short parts that were very good, but can be counted on one hand.
What I did have a problem with was the narrator's view on women and his extreme misogyny whenever attempting to explain the "nature of women". Of course this is a product of the early 20th century where this might be appropriate, but it still makes me want to throw up and I have no desire reading this kind of content (even if such a book might be considered a classic).
Apart from that I probably feel quite neutral about this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Suicide, Blood, and Abandonment

sydneylount's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent

i_write_on_occasion's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-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

Very thought-provoking, fascinating read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abandonment