A review by est_her
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I am relieved to find i'm no longer mentally ill enough to find comfort in this novel/enjoy it as much as the first time i read it. Yozo starts out as a child having difficulties understanding the people around him and incapable of building genuine connections with other humans. There, his struggles are almost relatable to the reader. As he grows up, Yozo makes so many mistakes, allows so many terrible people to influence him negatively that the main character even completely alienates the reader from himself. Every time it seems he may have a chance to turn his life around, he repeats the same mistakes, each time in a more horrifying manner than before. By the end of the novel, it is so sickening that it qualifies as a horror story. 
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