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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
3/7/24 review after the first review (post review): THIS BOOK IS CRAZY GOOD!! It’s raw, and that’s what I appreciate about it- to all the people who complain that it’s too depressing, that’s literally the point. It’s not meant to be a happy read, but strangely it did not make me uncomfortable. It was eye opening and relatable at times, and since I could relate to him in the beginning parts of the story it made me realize I need to get my life together before I become like him (LOL). The way this book is told resonates with me, and I could understand what Yozo felt, most of the time. Some things I couldn’t understand, such as him 1) not finding a singular moment of happiness (well, actually that’s a lie since he does mention it, but it doesn’t feel like happiness to me) in his life, and more shockingly 2) literally not doing anything to help his wife when she was getting violated??? His complete absence of anger toward the abuser I do not understand, but it is interesting how he is completely grief-stricken from this experience and it marks the point where he descends into madness.
FIRST REVIEW 3/6/24: Finished reading this book and it left me shocked with how it ended. I really wasn’t expecting that sad ending, I feel like it didn’t do Yozo justice. It’s kind of crazy how it comes full circle in a way too (I’d go in depth but spoilers), which is a …nice touch but adds to the feeling of incompleteness I got when I finished it. Yozo’s interior monologue is so interesting, sometimes relatable and at times confusing; the entire 3/4ths of the book I was only half-invested, as his interior monologue recounting events of mild engagement was interesting but not groundbreaking enough. It was only after a key event that created a sense of immediacy that my opinion entirely changed, and I appreciated the buildup. I wasn’t merely reading a book about some guy’s life an outcast and how it sucks, I was witnessing his slow descent into madness (which is similar to [b:A Streetcar Named Desire|12220|A Streetcar Named Desire|Tennessee Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389153133l/12220._SX50_.jpg|142449] , one I also really liked). Because of this realization I’m going to have to re-read this book sometime soon to fully understand its concepts (and write a better review), now that I know how important the beginning is.
FIRST REVIEW 3/6/24: Finished reading this book and it left me shocked with how it ended. I really wasn’t expecting that sad ending, I feel like it didn’t do Yozo justice. It’s kind of crazy how it comes full circle in a way too (I’d go in depth but spoilers), which is a …nice touch but adds to the feeling of incompleteness I got when I finished it. Yozo’s interior monologue is so interesting, sometimes relatable and at times confusing; the entire 3/4ths of the book I was only half-invested, as his interior monologue recounting events of mild engagement was interesting but not groundbreaking enough. It was only after a key event that created a sense of immediacy that my opinion entirely changed, and I appreciated the buildup. I wasn’t merely reading a book about some guy’s life an outcast and how it sucks, I was witnessing his slow descent into madness (which is similar to [b:A Streetcar Named Desire|12220|A Streetcar Named Desire|Tennessee Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389153133l/12220._SX50_.jpg|142449] , one I also really liked). Because of this realization I’m going to have to re-read this book sometime soon to fully understand its concepts (and write a better review), now that I know how important the beginning is.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My opinion would have changed if I had read this physically, but because I listened to the audiobook. I don't like it. The narrator was meh; at times, you can hear him drink water, and he makes mouth sounds. There are moments when he would repeat lines, I don't know if that was intentional or...But I couldn't focus
As for the story, it was also meh, just a sad man who experienced bad things and runs away from problems when he overthinks.
As for the story, it was also meh, just a sad man who experienced bad things and runs away from problems when he overthinks.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
there is a literary sub-genre that is quite popular but i cannot put a name on it. to describe it, would just be saying “miserable man who hates himself but will not kill himself and hates the world and says he wants to be left alone and yet is always around other people, making them miserable with his own presence.” nowadays sometimes women are also these types of men (the bell jar and my year of rest and relaxation comes to mind) but it’s mostly men. oba yozo is, of course, one of these men. but yet, he is not so miserable and pathetic that i cannot enjoy his inner dialogue at all and simply hate the man. is he a good man? hell nah. but am i so irritated by his words that i wish i had enough courage to DNF the novel? no, not at all. he walks this tight rope of depressing and interesting that allows one to somewhat enjoy reading about this man. i find the epilogue very interesting, having the last words of the novel giving compliments to the man we just read about. it has us wonder, was he really that horrible? or was he really just that good of an actor but that people would still make excuses for his outrageous behavior?
(final thoughts that have nothing to do with my review: throughout reading the novel, the idea kept popping into my head, that there were probably many people who read this novel, and perhaps others of dazai’s, merely to help them characterize the fictional dazai osamu from bungou stray dogs for their soukoku fanfiction. this idea made me giggle every time.)
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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