Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

102 reviews

wyabook234's review against another edition

dark 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent

talesofold's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Misogyny and Toxic friendship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

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.

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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.

persian_green's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Toxic relationship and War

sunfishya's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's not for everyone, that's for sure. It's a book that is highly layered and would definitely reveal more with multiple readings. There is content, such as the misogyny and constant detachment from trauma, that surrounds Yozo, but although it is a hard read because of those reasons, I find Dazai's exploration of the ideas of meaning, existence, and connection are very worth the read. There is a bit of sexual abuse that happens to Yozo both as a child and as an adult that seems to be glossed over afyer its mentioned, so if you are sensitive to such topics or treatment of such topics, be warned. I wanted to warn in the content warnings but couldn'  find out how. If you check the content warnings for this novel and want to proceed, it's a slow, meandering read but I find Dazai's exploration in the novel to be nuanced and highly open to connection from an audience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

literatureboysmelancholy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Death of parent and War

farzaan's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and War

w3nda1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death and Death of parent

nineinchnails's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-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

4.0

the writing is hard for me to gauge considering it’s a translation (of an older novel), and it felt quite choppy at parts. the prose is beautiful, though, despite the subject matter and i tremendously enjoyed reading this.

yozo is really gross but i felt for him, more so initially than later on in the novel. dazai captured the feeling of loneliness that comes with feeling alienated from society really well and it was depressingly relatable. knowing this is so well loved gave me a sense of comfort, like i’m not alone in feeling that way. i would find the misogyny a little less difficult to deal with if this book didn’t come off so much like an autobiography - it feels like he genuinely believed the things he was saying and it left a bad taste in my mouth overall. i wouldn’t recommend reading if you’re in a bad place mentally because there’s a heavy focus on his depression and pessimism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Depression, Overdose, Prostitution/sex work and Morphine abuse

333amreen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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

3.5

The first half was REALLY interesting! But it lost the spark as it went on, other than a few shocking incidents here & there. Overall, decent read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment