Reviews

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

jasmine_grace_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

lindle983's review against another edition

Couldn’t get invested in the plot. Narration moved at an erratic pace, and I had mixed feelings for the protagonist that weren’t strong enough to hang on sadly. Interesting writing style though - normally I like short novels like this, but something just did not click for me here. 

maritzw's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

xinquo's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious 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

4.25

purewater100's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sarah_zillas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

"Is there really any value to this thing we call living?"

Listened to the audiobook version of this book, and it's such a thought-provoking read.

This book may seem like a strange fever dream, but the topics surrounding it makes you think about to be or not to be an average, normal human being that other times make sense with the events going on. Moreover, how mental disorders have never changed much throughout the year, as if us in this current timeline can be connected with a Japanese author's mental struggles from 1909.

And how mental disorders can change a person's behaviour, how the 'old' you people would be mising and finding how boring you've become but it's all just part of our lives to change into somebody else. It's heartbreaking to see how Yozo tried his best to be himself after everything he went through; it is miserable, pitiful, and you can't help but sympathize him for the awful feelings and life he has and desperately trying to be a good person he is.

In the end, Yozo thinks he's no longer human like the people around him but out of all of them, he is the most human there is. Truly a sad, tense, and otherwise relatable listening/read for me.

amy_coe's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

4.0

starry_n8ght's review against another edition

4.0

um 4.5 for sure

geminimoon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

The protagonist is so autistic that I thought I was reading the dsm5 instead.   One of his prominent symptoms is his masking. He also has issues socializing. His chronic people pleasing might also be a symptom. Yozo is also deeply traumatized from his sexual abuse as a child and from growing up undiagnosed. Sad that he never got the help he needed. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault and Child abuse

vani25's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0