Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

141 reviews

lifepath7's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Confinement

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

marayzex's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Death and Death of parent

ccachapa's review against another edition

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

pgxpg's review against another edition

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

4.25

This book is an excellent example of what depression can look like, and how it can so easily spiral when trapped within the confines of your own mind. There’s a lot of self fulfilling prophecy within this story that I found rather tragic and disheartening. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Rape

ramona_m's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Toxic friendship

thewalkingnerd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

charrlee's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

I have never seen such an inscrutable face on a man (17)

The darkest novel I have yet to read, and I don't say that lightly. So much of how you read this novel is dependent on your own beliefs and biases. While the three notebooks pose a slight a question of subjectivity, the way Yozo is viewed in the prologue and epilogue are what truly form the thoughts of the reader. I can, and will, write an analysis on my thoughts around No Longer Human at some point. There is so much more that just cannot be said in a review. 

The last line haunts you; this book will haunt your mind. I don't feel as though I can rate this properly because there is something so human despite the inhumanities described. Also, knowing this work is semi-autobiographical enables you to approach the topic with more humanity as opposed to an entirely fictional rendition. 

Yozo is textually represented as a bad person, yet at the same time, he manages to be more than his evils to the people around him, whether that is realized or not. Everyone is important to somebody. At the heart of this novel lies the question of redemption and rebirth. No Longer Human, despite its name, invites the question of where humanity lies; is it inside or outside of us? We must extend the hand of sympathy to others, but to what degrees is society willing to extend sympathy? Yozo fills us with the uncomfortable and we must carry that haunting every day. Who is the real clown? 

P.S. The more direct translation, disqualified as a human being, packs a better punch. 

He was a good boy, an angel (177)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

william26's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

softbooknerd's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse