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andrea_lachance's review against another edition
challenging
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Definately need to reread this one.
Dazai’s No Longer Human is an inside look into one man’s deeply flawed psyche. Set in 1930’s Japan the book is framed as three notebooks written by the main character, Yozo, that were given to the narrator/author.
The book itself is comprised of a prologue, the three notebooks covering three periods of Yozo’s life, and an epilogue.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that captures just how isolating and depersonalizing mental illness and social isolation can make a person feel. That being said, it’s not a book I’d recommend for someone who’s going through a major depressive episode.
Philosophically, there are a lot if interesting ideas. Yozo has difficulties understanding why people need structure and rhythm in their days and understanding other peoples emotions. Yozo especially has a difficult time reading women, and finds them unknowable.
Reading from Yozo’s point of view makes me feel both empathy and annoyance. Yozo feels he is uniquely, extremely burdened with ‘The Weight of it All’ and doubts that other humans think or feel the same things because if they did, they would not walk around as happy as they are. It’s makes me feel really sad, because I’ve been there, but I also feel like Yozo is conceited (the way that men have to have a drug trip to experience empathy and ego death and think they’re experiencing something novel when every girl has felt that way since 14).
Yoko strikes me as a pessimistic existentialist (“nothing matters” but in the worst way possible) and he just can’t get out of that mindset and it taints everything in the world.
In a way, I think this book speaks to the importance of NOT thinking this way, of NOT isolating yourself. Yoko goes down this really awful and intense spiral because he just can’t get out of his head and can’t connect with people. That’s not entirely his fault, but it’s why he can’t seem to bounce back..
I’d be remiss to say Yoko could pull himself up from depression if he just got out of his head. That’s bullshit. Yoko’s experienced SEVERAL traumas throughout his life that have severely impacted his ability to connect with others, and he was never given any real help.
This could serve as a critique of how Japan at the time dealt with treating the mental health of children at the time (i.e not at all, or extremely stigmatized).This critique of Japan’s mental healthcare system comes up again at the end of the third notebook, when Yoko is institutionalized. Once he is, he says he is “disqualified as a human being. I had now ceased to be a human being” (167). BRO. It was so heavily stigmatized to be institutionalized, that Yoko was ‘othered’ and became ‘no longer human’. That’s insane. And that’s exactly how Japan treated people who needed help.
And worse, after being institutionalized, Yoko lived the rest of his life in isolation, away from family, in a house that was falling apart with a caretaker who abused him.
He always said he was a terrible person, not. A person, but in the end, he was described as “a good boy, an angel” and that his father was the real monster? Things to think about.
Really good book.
Much to think about with this one.
Again, lots of alcohol and substance abuse. And of course, SA because that’s just a running theme in every book I read, apparently.
Random notes I made on Yozo:
-he associates apologizing with women :///
-He only understands anger/negative emotions in other people, not positive emotions
-He’s afraid to use money but also is using up his monthly allowance in 2-3 days and BEGGING his family for money (71)
-sometimes, he really is giving rich asshole who doesn’t know how the world or human empathy works
-Dude is a straight up mysogynist (80)
-Bro really said he’s the same as a poverty-stricken woman :///
-He strikes me as someone with ASPD or SzPD
-He blames Flatfish for his situation??? (102)
-He married a 17 year-old hoping to find happiness.
“Living itself is the source of sin” (164) BARS
-IDK how much of an unreliable narrator he is, we’ll figure that out on round 2
Dazai’s No Longer Human is an inside look into one man’s deeply flawed psyche. Set in 1930’s Japan the book is framed as three notebooks written by the main character, Yozo, that were given to the narrator/author.
The book itself is comprised of a prologue, the three notebooks covering three periods of Yozo’s life, and an epilogue.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that captures just how isolating and depersonalizing mental illness and social isolation can make a person feel. That being said, it’s not a book I’d recommend for someone who’s going through a major depressive episode.
Philosophically, there are a lot if interesting ideas. Yozo has difficulties understanding why people need structure and rhythm in their days and understanding other peoples emotions. Yozo especially has a difficult time reading women, and finds them unknowable.
Reading from Yozo’s point of view makes me feel both empathy and annoyance. Yozo feels he is uniquely, extremely burdened with ‘The Weight of it All’ and doubts that other humans think or feel the same things because if they did, they would not walk around as happy as they are. It’s makes me feel really sad, because I’ve been there, but I also feel like Yozo is conceited (the way that men have to have a drug trip to experience empathy and ego death and think they’re experiencing something novel when every girl has felt that way since 14).
Yoko strikes me as a pessimistic existentialist (“nothing matters” but in the worst way possible) and he just can’t get out of that mindset and it taints everything in the world.
In a way, I think this book speaks to the importance of NOT thinking this way, of NOT isolating yourself. Yoko goes down this really awful and intense spiral because he just can’t get out of his head and can’t connect with people. That’s not entirely his fault, but it’s why he can’t seem to bounce back..
I’d be remiss to say Yoko could pull himself up from depression if he just got out of his head. That’s bullshit. Yoko’s experienced SEVERAL traumas throughout his life that have severely impacted his ability to connect with others, and he was never given any real help.
This could serve as a critique of how Japan at the time dealt with treating the mental health of children at the time (i.e not at all, or extremely stigmatized).
And worse, after being institutionalized, Yoko lived the rest of his life in isolation, away from family, in a house that was falling apart with a caretaker who abused him.
He always said he was a terrible person, not. A person, but in the end, he was described as “a good boy, an angel” and that his father was the real monster? Things to think about.
Really good book.
Much to think about with this one.
Again, lots of alcohol and substance abuse. And of course, SA because that’s just a running theme in every book I read, apparently.
Random notes I made on Yozo:
-he associates apologizing with women :///
-He only understands anger/negative emotions in other people, not positive emotions
-He’s afraid to use money but also is using up his monthly allowance in 2-3 days and BEGGING his family for money (71)
-sometimes, he really is giving rich asshole who doesn’t know how the world or human empathy works
-Dude is a straight up mysogynist (80)
-Bro really said he’s the same as a poverty-stricken woman :///
-He strikes me as someone with ASPD or SzPD
-He blames Flatfish for his situation??? (102)
-He married a 17 year-old hoping to find happiness.
“Living itself is the source of sin” (164) BARS
-IDK how much of an unreliable narrator he is, we’ll figure that out on round 2
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
caspyreads's review
dark
sad
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
4.0
Utterly depressing. I think that's the point though. The author himself was incredibly depressed, which ultimately resulted in him ending his own life. If you're sensitive to these topics and other potentially triggering themes, I don't recommend reading this. It is heavy.
No Longer Human follows the character Ōba Yōzō through parts of his childhood and adulthood. He doesn't seem to understand common human experiences and puts on a mask to seem like he is participating. Yōzō finds mundanity to be joyless and boring. He seeks ways to cope in substances, mostly alcohol, which brings him further into his depression.
I think anyone who has dealt with depression and/or anxiety can relate to Yōzō. He feels like an outsider. Set in pre-WWII Japan, a time in which mental health was not talked about or studied as much, No Longer Human presents a character based on Dazai himself and his struggles who seeks validation in all the wrong things and ultimately doesn't survive his depression.
This book is certainly not for everyone, but I think this is a good depiction of how many people managed, or didn't manage, their mental health in a time when people didn't fully understand what it was and never talked about it.
No Longer Human follows the character Ōba Yōzō through parts of his childhood and adulthood. He doesn't seem to understand common human experiences and puts on a mask to seem like he is participating. Yōzō finds mundanity to be joyless and boring. He seeks ways to cope in substances, mostly alcohol, which brings him further into his depression.
I think anyone who has dealt with depression and/or anxiety can relate to Yōzō. He feels like an outsider. Set in pre-WWII Japan, a time in which mental health was not talked about or studied as much, No Longer Human presents a character based on Dazai himself and his struggles who seeks validation in all the wrong things and ultimately doesn't survive his depression.
This book is certainly not for everyone, but I think this is a good depiction of how many people managed, or didn't manage, their mental health in a time when people didn't fully understand what it was and never talked about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Suicide
ash0ncloud2306's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Spoiler (later on): I personally didn’t “love” nor “liked” the book but I did understand it. I understand it’s a suicidal note which makes it sad and to know it’s a semi autobiography makes it even awful. The main character did not have any redeemable qualities at all other than his self-awareness most of the times (except his misogynistic views and thoughts and feelings). There were some things that just made me question myself why am I reading this book? I was hoping for the main character redemption arc. I was really rooting for him. And at the end “Everything passes”. At least to my understanding, that is the whole point of the book where the main character holds no redeemable qualities which makes him disqualified as a human… no longer a human. At the epilogue, they call him an Angel so perhaps he is not a human because he is not that species (I am only connecting ideas here and there or the want of connecting ideas so this can be ignored). Also he was called an Angel at the epilogue though his life…. He was not being his true self I feel or took a stand for his art. Lots of self sabotaging along with not really wanting anything. He wanted a book as a present from his dad in the beginning and that was disappointing to everyone in the family so there’s a lot of psychological issues from the main character which I felt bad for. I was really rooting for him. I really was :/ I don’t know how I feel about the book tbh. I’m not happy nor sad. Just empty. If anyone gets attached to the author and work, I’d recommend this book. I wouldn’t really recommend it to people though. It had great prose. There’s just… questionable things in there that I can’t slide it away. I mean read the book at your will. This is my opinion.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Gaslighting, Death, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Suicide, and Vomit
telepathyjmin'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Previously read Junji Ito's adaptation, and decided to read the original. Heartbreaking story about a man alienated from society. Only complaint is there were a couple of grammar mistakes throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Vomit, and Sexual content
wiktoria_bojda's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Misogyny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic friendship, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death and Death of parent
thepurplepeep's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, and Rape
isayruusaybi's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
afreyno1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
⚠️ Review contains spoilers ⚠️
Quote that resignated with me “Mine was a life of shame.” Oba Yozo
I decided to give No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai a 4.75, mainly becausethe third notebook was emotionally tough to get through.
This book is a semi-autobiographical story of author Osamu Dazai’s life. Dazai sadly unalived himself a few months after publishing NLH.
Oba Yozo, the main protagonist, lead a tough life, full of addiction, depression, and anxiety. Which lead him to try and unalive himself with partner Tsuneko. Sadly Tsuneko passed away, but Yozo stayed alive, and was in trouble with the Japanese law enforcement. This lead to more addiction, drinking, and later on morphine addiction
Quote that resignated with me “Mine was a life of shame.” Oba Yozo
I decided to give No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai a 4.75, mainly because
This book is a semi-autobiographical story of author Osamu Dazai’s life. Dazai sadly unalived himself a few months after publishing NLH.
Oba Yozo, the main protagonist, lead a tough life, full of addiction, depression, and anxiety. Which lead him to try and unalive himself with partner Tsuneko. Sadly Tsuneko passed away, but Yozo stayed alive, and was in trouble with the Japanese law enforcement. This lead to more addiction, drinking, and later on morphine addiction
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
shely's review against another edition
dark
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? No
3.0
It's actually a good book, there are many parts that I found relatable especially within the first notebook but there are also many parts where I was like "ayo wtf". I can honestly understand the character and some of his views which is why I didn't hate him but I also didn't love him. I also really like how the last chapter connects to the first that was very nice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Suicide, Alcohol, Addiction, Sexism, and Misogyny