Reviews

Bekenntnisse einer Maske by Yukio Mishima

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btothhhhh's review against another edition

5.0

An unapologetic confession of grotesque fantasies, suppressed homoerotic lust, and the burden of self-analysis. A prominent voice in traditionalist Japan's post-war identity crisis, Mishima knew he was setting out on a violently transgressive odyssey of self-understanding with this novel.

A man riddled with dichotomies can only approach the world with an unreliable narratorial voice. His conflicting views on love, lust, and death bleed together to create a distorted watercolor portrait of the most impressively unsettling nature.

Where does the line between character and author begin to blur? Well, wherever that line sits in Mishima's world, he sadistically hops from side to side in a way which is incredibly enjoyable to read. He continues his 5 star streak and creeps closer to Kawabata in my fav authors list

"Self-deception was now my last ray of hope. A person who has been seriously wounded does not demand that the emergeney bandages that save his life be clean. I arrested my bleeding with the bandages of self-deception, with which I was at least already familiar, and thought of nothing but running to the hospital."

niionatan01's review against another edition

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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? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

areki09's review against another edition

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4.0

I liked the time setting of the book in a country where we hardly hear about LGBT (perhaps we just don’t pay enough attention to their books). I was a bit frustrated with some of the descriptions, but I’m attributing it to the translation and English being my second language. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone struggling with self acceptance and integration to society.

neon_gregory_evangelion's review against another edition

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4.0

It is rare I read a novel this emotionally affecting. A devastating look into the inner psyche of one who struggles to identify with himself and struggles with how others perceive him. He is shackled with a loneliness that concerns his very existence and is unable to cope with who he is. A main character who makes all kinds of internal revelations but lives an otherwise stagnant life. Devastating and strangely beautiful.