A review by natcrash
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book captivated me from the first sentence. I hadn’t read for fun in so long (like 3 years?) and this book brought me out of my reading slump. It’s short, at least for me (>200 pages), so it was perfect. 

It’s beautifully written. 

I love me some existential ramblings. Yozo is (maybe) relatable if you’ve ever felt out of place and/or have had depression, which makes you feel bad since

he’s basically a piece of shit and treats everyone around him horribly

. He calls you out, making you uncomfortable, but that’s just what I love. But DON’T read this book if you’re currently depressed. This book would’ve sent me spiraling down a hole five years ago. It’s definitely not for everyone, it’s harsh and heavy. It’s not something I usually read, but I couldn’t put it down.

Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

- Cesar A. Cruz

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Body shaming and Death of parent

Minor: Vomit, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Medical content, and Pedophilia

Some of the minor trigger warnings are listed as “minor” as they’re only mentioned in passing and are not major plot points of the book.