Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - No Longer Human

Protagonist / Writer of the Notebooks is rather sexist. I guess it is a product of its time, but it sure did not age well. The prose is beautiful in parts, and a mix of vague and too detailed in others. The insight into his depressive episodes was very meaningful/insightful, and it was a rather quick read. I related to the protagonist in part, especially with the view of the world, but in other parts it was frustrating to see him spiral further and further.

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ake_alis's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.25

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marissasa's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is depressing, strange, dark, difficult, and somehow so real. Despite the consistent themes of alienation throughout the book, the main character's thoughts and feelings, while quite intense, are at times surprisingly relatable. Instead of feeling sad for him or rooting for him, as I read on about his spiral into depression, alcoholism, and suffering I found myself simply understanding him. I can appreciate that this story feels like it was written not to make you cry or have sympathy for its main character, but to simply show the main character's unfiltered thoughts and feelings and make you think about what makes us human and what can make people feel like they aren't.

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nat_kiverse's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

3.0

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sluglightning's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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books_onthe_ground's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was drawn to this boo on my search for literature that was horror related, disturbing or simply unpleasant to read but not in a ‘this book is shit’ way and yeah this book definitely fits that criteria. More so, I finally picked this up after it being on my list for a while after a youtuber I really admire published a video on this book titled “The most disturbing book I’ve ever read”. Safe to say, I finally bit the bullet and bought it soon after that video was published.

This book isn’t an enjoyable read and it’s so good at making you simply unhappy without wanting to put the book down. It is depression on paper. This thing is, is that it’s also beautifully written. There are some truly beautiful lines and the impact they create is masterful. The subject matter is painful and deeply upsetting but the wording makes it impossible to put down. There are no monsters and it’s not particularly graphic. There is nothing that would exist outside of this world to take the horror from. No, the horror in this book is human. It's human and goes undedicated. There is no help, no support and no hope. This book is depressing in its complete lack of hope in humanity.

You have to look up trigger warnings for this one because it contains most of the things that come to mind when you think of what trigger warnings might include. Suicide, self-harm, derealisation, desocialisation, death, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and more. This book has the lot. Its definitely one of the darkest books some people will ever read and it’s a book that will stay with you long after you’ve read it. It is a perfect example of a car crash you can’t look away from. It’s a difficult book to rate because of this because it’s difficult to say I loved it or enjoyed it because how can I? I’m happy I bought and read it and I’ll probably read it again. I’m also intrigued by Dazai’s other works now.

For these reasons I gave it 4 stars. Would I recommend it to someone? It very much depends on the person and they would have to be in the place to read it because this book really does have the ability to impact someone negatively, especially if they are in a vulnerable place. But yes, if I think it’s okay to do so, I would recommend it. It’s one of those books where if it wasn’t about the topics it is and what I previously stated wasn’t true, this would be a book that you could argue everyone should read but again, I said what I said.

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zoonewrevues's review against another edition

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dark

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

I think this book is too difficult to have a star rating. While this book was painful and irritating to read due to the awful characters, it was compelling and well written. The characters are all so unlikeable and the main character is the worst. He is pretentious, full of self-pity, and has no regard for others emotions. He absolutely sucks. Plus he is a giant misogynist. Calling all women disgusting and stupid. I feel like some of this was written for the reader to feel bad for him but I truly can't. Yet, this book evokes emotion and I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know how this terrible man ends. While I somehow wished he could make one good decision, I was praying for his downfall. I have never hated multiple main characters so much while liking a book. The ending definitely fell flat though.

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smoladeryn's review against another edition

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dark 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

3.0

Just when I was beginning to forget, that bird of ill-Omen came flapping my way, to rip open with its beak the wounds of memory. —p139

This book is so well written, and a classic indeed. And, still, I’ve never both hated a book so intensely and also not been able to stop reading it.

It’s incredibly poetic at times with vignettes that startled me in their simple and quiet beauty. The blurb describes this account of the character’s life (and perhaps Osama Dorias’) as being without sentiment. Cold? No. It’s a dark, depressing, dank telling of a person’s life, but if you pay attention there is so much sentimentality for his depression and deceitful, destructive ways.

Before I go on, I do also need to address- his disgusting abuse of the women in his life. He very clearly knew he was despicable for it but he never truly realized just how awfully abusive and destructive he was. He often wrote about these women as if they deserved it because they were weak, ugly, or “crippled”.

I found myself thinking about reading this through a modern 2022 lens, how much mental illness and pain is clear in the character. In today’s world, no doubt we could see any number of diagnoses for this character. I wonder if it would have changed things.

The thing I struggled most with was how much this book is one of utter self loathing, but somehow, at the same time he fails to ever take responsibility for a single thing that happens to him. In fact, he describes it all as simply happening to him as if he’s a pacifist in his life. And maybe that’s how he truly experienced it - but oh if he knew all he had to do was simply take responsibility and self reflect! Even in his, clearly later years of life, the self reflection that is this book is actually just self indulgence!

The narcissism and self centred perspective often made me nauseous and gave me vertigo how quickly he’d both dwell in what was surely a very awful life as well somehow believe he was so special as to be the only person in the entire world suffering in the way he did. Not only this, him! A boy from a rich family who lost that connection through his own poor choices! And sure, he lacked a loving family, but my lawd, even many who experience serious child abuse can find a way through life without feeling so utterly sorry for themselves.

I think this is what kept me most from feeling compassion for him. Although, at times I would start to feel some compassion, it would be ripped away by the next paragraph’s grandiose claims at how hard done by he was.

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” by the more literary “What uneasiness lies in being loved” —p47

Somehow he is so poetic in the narcissism I couldn’t shake how haunting it was. It reminds me of Bukowski, a poet I love in a way, but also hate.

(I am very susceptible to other people’s suggestions. When people say to me, “You really shouldn’t spend this money, but I suppose you will anyway…” I have the strange illusion that I would be going against expectations and somehow doing wrong unless I spent it. I invariably spend all the money immediately.) —p161

Even toward the end, when he should be starting to find clarity on his mistakes he blames everything around him for his terribleness.

BUT THE POETRY, ugh it kills me. I’m so conflicted.

But materialism could not free me from my dread of human beings; I could not feel the joy of hope a man experiences when he opens his eyes on young leaves. —p66

Just when I was beginning to forget, that bird of ill-Omen came flapping my way, to rip open with its beak the wounds of memory. —p139

Finally, at times I actually laughed out loud. I often wondered where his (supposedly) magnificent humour was in all of this. His grandiose claims at how funny and charming everyone found him rarely materialized. But there were glimpses.

Then, just when I had begun to entertain faintly in my breast the sweet notion that perhaps there was a chance I might turn one of these days into a human being and be spared the necessity of a horrible death, Horiki showed up again. —p138

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