Reviews with content warning for Vomit - 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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azalya01's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

I have to say that this story is unlike anything I have ever read. I have read stories with unlikable protagonists before, but I have never encountered a character with such a deep difficulty in connecting with other people. Although I am someone who finds it easy to connect and empathize with others, Yozo's hopeless view of the world made me consider that an individual's humanity isn't always as easy to find as one might think. This book really challenged me to question my own habits of passing judgment on others.

Try to keep in mind that the character Yozo is intentionally flawed and that his journey through life is not necessarily meant to be an admirable one. I personally perceived the instances of misogyny and toxicity in this book as shortcomings of the character rather than messages we are meant to internalize as valid.

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Overall, this was an intriguing story about what it means to be human, and how sometimes our worst enemies are ourselves.

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_azure76's review against another edition

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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

3.75

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golpesar818's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

considering this book within the imperialist context of post WWII Japan, i found this book to be even more unsettling and depressing, because then i started to feel like Yozo’s character represents postwar Japanese society broadly (i.e kinda like how Yozo, in his many attempts to understand society, asks “what is society?” and answers: “a society is just an individual”). yes,
he’s a patriarchal misogynist. his hatred of women is overt. he experiences multiple overlapping dependencies and isolations, he is not very likeable, but what’s even scarier, he is dangerously recognizable in SOME specific ways. namely his social anxiety. it’s all very banality of evil. overall though, by the end of the book i felt that the title “no longer human” or “disqualified as human” suggests to me that his loss of humanity (attributed to his psychiatric institutionalization), much like his many desires to unalive himself, is systemic. i don’t normally read “classic” literature but appreciated the vibe shift even though this book medium key fucked me up. major tw that i listed below.

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