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A review by ada_elisabeth
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
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