A review by ollie_again
Odepsaný by Osamu Dazai

dark reflective 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

2.5

While there are some thoughtful parts of the narrative, a lot of the struggle of the main character is pushed onto other people, mainly women. Every time he spirals, the fault is put onto women, it's their fault he both feels inadequate and above all others, it's their fault they get abused and raped, their tragedy is their fault and the man's tragedy is also their doing. 

The first part of the story was somewhat good, focusing on the feeling of alienation by society, feeling lost and putting on a mask. The part I thought about a lot is when Dazai talks about that not even the best actor wants to perform in front of his family, as it is the hardest performance one has to do. After the first half of the book, though, I had no sympathy for Yōzō because of how he treats other people in his life. I felt sorry for most of the other characters, but not him.

As I said, some good nuggets here and there, but I was ready to be done with the book pretty early on.
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