kitness 's review for:

The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This complex work is difficult to fully break down or analyze, especially without sound knowledge of Japan and its aristocracy at the time. That said, at times I felt that it was almost painfully poetic and perfect, while at other times I felt the limitations of it informed by the author’s cynicism and self-concern. I can’t help but feel that Naoji is a self-insert, even without knowing anything about Dazai. 

The bitter tragedy and hollow desperation that marks the faux-bittersweet ending was somehow disappointing. I wanted to see one more hint of their refined mother’s character reflected in Kazuko, but the entire point is that it was done. But then it would be better for her to have also ended her life. The ending is instead uncomfortably ugly (since Kazuko didn’t really love her lover and is lying to herself like mad and making awful choices under the pretense that they mean freedom and happiness as a very bad coping mechanism for her unfortunate life) and perhaps intended to be so…still, I just don’t care for it. But I will go back to this book, I think, for those remarkable moments and the special, clear prose.