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ceeeejay's reviews
2 reviews
Galatea by Madeline Miller
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A brilliant retelling of an old tale, but it also serves as a critique of the ancient writings that are laden with patriarchal values and misogyny. The story of a woman and her fight to survive and escape her possessive husband. A short and engaging story which manages to make you attached to Galatea within the very brief time we spend with her. Bittersweet and upsetting commentary on the disease of misogyny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Torture, Drug use, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Abortion
Minor: Pedophilia
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The direct translation of this title is far more apt I feel than the English title. “Disqualified from being human” while more wordy it accurately sums up this book. Yozo is born fundamentally different in a way that simply disqualified him from fitting in before he can even try.
This book is a devastating look into the mind of a man so deeply troubled he feels alien. Yozo is so deeply afraid of this alien species he’s surrounded by- terrified by their reactions and expectations of him. He chases his tail to fit in, to find a place where he can exist. Not for any want of community or kinship- but simply because he fears what would happen if people saw him for what he was. Other. He slips into the role of the clown- his performance and jesting is what he uses to get by. His peers accept him as a goofball, someone not to be taken seriously. And it’s in that hollow act that Yozo can carry on the Herculean task of simply existing.
This book feels and reads like the worlds longest suicide note. Looking into the author and knowing more about his life and how deeply it seems to have inspired No Longer Human is devastating. To know a man so miserable and alienated existed and never found comfort is so deeply disturbing to me. To get attached to this deeply flawed and sometimes toxic character to know there is no good end. To feel like I understand Dazai- knowing the outcome will remain the same.
It’s the most deeply relatable work I’ve ever read, and it makes the outcome all the more devastating.
I’ve struggled for a while to finish books and to feel anything while reading- and this rekindled a love in me that hasn’t been there in a long time.
I finish my review with the final lines of the book. Words that when put into the context of dazai are heart-wrenching to read. Making you feel a sadness so visceral you could almost choke on it.
“The Yozo we knew was so easy-going and amusing, and if only he hadn’t drunk—no, even though he did drink—he was a good boy, an angel.”
This book is a devastating look into the mind of a man so deeply troubled he feels alien. Yozo is so deeply afraid of this alien species he’s surrounded by- terrified by their reactions and expectations of him. He chases his tail to fit in, to find a place where he can exist. Not for any want of community or kinship- but simply because he fears what would happen if people saw him for what he was. Other. He slips into the role of the clown- his performance and jesting is what he uses to get by. His peers accept him as a goofball, someone not to be taken seriously. And it’s in that hollow act that Yozo can carry on the Herculean task of simply existing.
This book feels and reads like the worlds longest suicide note. Looking into the author and knowing more about his life and how deeply it seems to have inspired No Longer Human is devastating. To know a man so miserable and alienated existed and never found comfort is so deeply disturbing to me. To get attached to this deeply flawed and sometimes toxic character to know there is no good end. To feel like I understand Dazai- knowing the outcome will remain the same.
It’s the most deeply relatable work I’ve ever read, and it makes the outcome all the more devastating.
I’ve struggled for a while to finish books and to feel anything while reading- and this rekindled a love in me that hasn’t been there in a long time.
I finish my review with the final lines of the book. Words that when put into the context of dazai are heart-wrenching to read. Making you feel a sadness so visceral you could almost choke on it.
“The Yozo we knew was so easy-going and amusing, and if only he hadn’t drunk—no, even though he did drink—he was a good boy, an angel.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
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