Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Indigno de ser humano by Osamu Dazai

250 reviews

ada_elisabeth'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

I've been meaning to read this book for two years, so when I saw it in a Barnes & Noble when picking up a gift for a friend, I decided that now would finally be the time. 

I'm so glad I read this. It was dramatic, melancholic, and deeply philosophical. It was one of the best explorations of the human experience I've ever read. It was one of the few translated books that I found to have beautiful writing. It was, in an odd way, comforting. 

This book does a great job of balancing the intensity of Yozo's life and emotions; although it is often a very calm, slow-paced story, there are moments (especially towards the end) when it begins to spiral and peak in the best way possible.

I am sure I will revisit this book (and this review) in the future, because I loved it and I could think about it probably for the rest of my life, but for now, we're on to other things. 

Since I still haven't started school yet, there may be time for one final book of Sad Book Summer, but if not, this was a remarkable way to close the season out. It wasn't tender or gentle in the way that many other sad books are, and it had almost no positivity or happiness in it, but sometimes, that's the only thing I want to read. I think this may very well be my favorite book of the year. 5/5. Incredible.

There were too many amazing quotes for me to pick just one favorite, so here are my top three: 

"There are all kinds of unhappy people in the world." 

"I wonder if I have actually been happy."

"It is curious, but the cathedrals of melancholy are not necessarily demolished if one can replace the vulgar "What a messy business it is to be fallen for" with the more literary "What uneasiness lies in being loved." 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

perth_is's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

pata's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

fortunetree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.0

It was a bit challenging to get used to the writing style since the narrative is sometimes fractured: seemingly banal things get described in detail while others are portrayed very short, raw and direct. This wasn't easy to get used to but helped a lot to immerse yourself in Yozo's mental state. I found the book very thought-provoking in the sense that Yozo's struggles were portrayed in a way that you would judge him but also find him relatable. Essentially, I would say that this is the kind of book where you could have a meaningful philosophical discussion about it and even though it is quite short it is not fast to think through or easy to read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

sendnunes's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

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

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

cyrussolaris's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

5.0

this book stole my glasses, sucker punched me, and called me a little bitch… 

it’s a new favorite, will be rereading.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

jk_reads's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol

stsgplaylist's review against another edition

dark reflective sad

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

4.5

damn yozo!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

justann33's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

historyoftape's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-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

3.75

This was hard to read, it was like watching someone sink into quicksand in slow motion. Fascinating, horrifying, depressing, cynical, at points slightly hopeful- haven't read anything like this in a long time.

Getting a look into the psyche of someone who cannot understand humanity, therefore struggles to define himself, defines himself as a monster and the watches himself become one, and in the end is just so incredibly human even while he believes himself not to be. That is what I would summarize this book to be, even though there is so much more. 

Read the trigger warnings though. Would not recommend this to anyone currently struggling with depression or suicidal ideation. I'd say I'm mentally doing well right now, don't know what this would have been like if I'd read it at other points in life.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Pedophilia

It does not get better as you read. No happy ending.