A review by trifle2740
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

4.0

What stuns me most about this book is that it portrays the mind of a truly believable person, living behind a facade of forced and faked happiness. No Longer Human is a deeply unsettling and saddening book about a man who believes he is not suited for this world, and finds societal integration an impossible task. What really struck me with this book is that singular thought: what must it be like to feel totally exalted from humanity and society? I believe this novel answers that question with a deep and wallowing sadness, and explains very carefully the thoughts and feelings of someone living with severe depression, anxiety and worry. The book does jump between time periods a lot, and can oftentimes be slightly tricky to keep up with, but after finishing it, I gained an important insight into conditions that I have never, thankfully, had to deal with, and gives me a renewed sense of admiration and respect for people that are suffering from similar experiences as the ones presented in this novel.