ajaded_ 's review for:

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

5.0

dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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One of my favorite books. Diving into Yozo’s (and by extension since this is semi-autobiographical) Dazai’s psyche was truly harrowing especially considering that this was his final book before his death. Yozo’s feelings of alienation and his need to constantly mask himself before others are relatable. One of the most common criticisms I see about this book is regarding Yozo’s misogyny, but I feel like this flaw is an essential part of the main character’s self destructive tendencies. Yozo doesn’t understand women, he’s scared to view them as human (likely due to his childhood trauma) and this in turn leads him simultaneously craving emotional connections while being unable to reciprocate. Also this book is the epitome of unreliable narration, yozo hates everything about himself and so his most loathsome qualities including his misogyny, alcoholism and drug addiction are displayed as the primary actors in his dysfunctional life. It’s only in the epilogue that the reader gets to witness a brief outside perspective.