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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
It’s artistic. But just because you can write it, doesn’t mean that you should…
Devastating and brilliant, in equal measure. The tone of the text (and translation) embodies the disassociation of the narrator. Now I want to read every Dazai translation I can get my hands on.
—owned
—owned
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading "No Longer Human" by Osamu Dazai left me with a rollercoaster of emotions: confusion, sorrow, and a haunting sense of recognition. The protagonist, Oba Yozo, is painfully self-aware of his flaws, yet he remains trapped in a cycle of self-destruction. Just when you think he might change, he slips back into the same patterns, as if redemption is always just out of reach.
The novel opens with a line that stopped me cold: “Mine has been a life of much shame. I can’t even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being.” I stared at that sentence for a long time, wondering why it hit so hard. As I read on, the answer slowly unfolded — not through plot twists, but through the raw unraveling of a man who feels fundamentally alienated from the world. This book is not an easy read. It’s heavy with self-doubt, alienation, addiction, depression, and the constant ache of pretending to be someone you’re not. There’s a certain darkness running through it that doesn’t offer comfort, just raw exposure. Every page feels like peeling off another layer of armor, and what’s underneath isn’t pretty.
After I finished, I had to look up who Dazai was. I needed to know why this story existed. Turns out, it’s semi-autobiographical, and suddenly it all made sense. Dazai struggled with many of the same demons as Yozo, and his writing feels like a desperate attempt to make sense of his own suffering. He died by suicide shortly after completing this novel, which only deepens its tragic resonance.
This book isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a story to enjoy or escape into, No Longer Human might not be the right choice. But if you’re willing to sit with discomfort, to explore the darker corners of the human psyche, it offers a profound — and profoundly unsettling — experience. It demands empathy, patience, and reflection. And in return, it leaves you with a lingering ache and a deeper understanding of what it means to feel unmoored from the world.
This book isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a story to enjoy or escape into, No Longer Human might not be the right choice. But if you’re willing to sit with discomfort, to explore the darker corners of the human psyche, it offers a profound — and profoundly unsettling — experience. It demands empathy, patience, and reflection. And in return, it leaves you with a lingering ache and a deeper understanding of what it means to feel unmoored from the world.