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lukes_ramblingwritings66's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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
5.0
I sit here, after finished reading No Longer Human, or rather "Disqualified to be Human" with a weird sensation. On one end, this was a miserable tale. Understandably so, with it being a semi-autobiographical affair, as Dazai himself may have suffered from CPTSD at a young age and attempted to take his life five times, with the fifth being the final attempt. On the other end, I found brief moments of air, as if after one had their head submerged in water for too long, only to come to the surface at the last minute.
I'm just going to leave it at that. The level of emptiness(?) I feel now will probably stick with me for a while. A very similar feeling after watching Park Chan-Wook's film Oldboy for the first time, albeit, a slightly different context.
I'm just going to leave it at that. The level of emptiness(?) I feel now will probably stick with me for a while. A very similar feeling after watching Park Chan-Wook's film Oldboy for the first time, albeit, a slightly different context.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
loumi93's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
mangonana's review against another edition
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
shadowdra126's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
This book was very dark and well written. I just think the emotions poured onto the page were lost to someone with Asperger’s like me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
mazzoccatoadele's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, and Vomit
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
whaliensong'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
5.0
It's when you see someone else sharing your exact thoughts of self-hatred and self-blame that makes you consider how wrong it all is. And it's when they mirror your fears and echo your rock bottom that the isolation you feel trapped in suddenly gives way a little.
That's how it felt reading this, as someone struggling to navigate lost and alone in the dark. As someone who's felt the need to hide the part of themselves too "subhuman" for society. The experience of reading this book felt like a release, and it pulled up a stool for me at the bar in Ginza to sit with my fears of abandonment and isolation.
I just wish there was someone there to echo Osamu Dazai's thoughts back to him so he could hear how he sounded.
That's how it felt reading this, as someone struggling to navigate lost and alone in the dark. As someone who's felt the need to hide the part of themselves too "subhuman" for society. The experience of reading this book felt like a release, and it pulled up a stool for me at the bar in Ginza to sit with my fears of abandonment and isolation.
I just wish there was someone there to echo Osamu Dazai's thoughts back to him so he could hear how he sounded.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
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."
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
micahsch17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Mental illness and Misogyny
sausten03's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
hongstoes's review against another edition
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
5.0
This book is a perfectly lonely immersive experience. I loved reading this and it will stick with me for a while. Do yourself a favor and read the prologue and epilogue! This is not the time to skip them.
I knew halfway through the book that I wanted to reread it. It's quick with fairly simple prose that allows you to lose yourself in it.The ending was perfect - "He was a good boy" nearly brought me to tears. I absolutely recommend this.
I knew halfway through the book that I wanted to reread it. It's quick with fairly simple prose that allows you to lose yourself in it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape