chazaiya's reviews
71 reviews

The Evidence of Things Not Seen by James Baldwin

dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

dark emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

4.75

The Box Man by Kōbō Abe

dark funny informative tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

very oblique. very tense. one of those stories where it makes me want to search up "THE BOX MAN ENDING EXPLAINED" immediately after finishing it even though i fucking hate doing that. i would like to read more about this at some point but it doesn't seem like there's a lot that exists? given it's not one of his popular works. it's a book that, especially the more you go on, is difficult to form any kind of understanding but it's so unique and surreal and interesting that you end up reading the whole thing anyway. i mean how are you supposed to come up with something like this and then how do you figure to explore this idea in this way? i imagine the woman in the dunes is a better book and the face of another is a funnier book but this was still a great read. don't imagine there's much like it outside of abe's bibliography.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It's kind of bittersweet having finally finished it after reading this for almost half a year (not even an exceptionally long book. Lord have mercy on me when I eventually read Karamazov). Like saying goodbye to an old friend. It is beautiful that Bulgakov was able to write something this magical in a time and place where magic was frowned upon. A very special, very singular book.

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Drive My Car by Haruki Murakami

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

was going to give this a 4.5 but after finishing it and reading how nicely the book ties up everything while presenting its case i'm closer to a 5. going to let it marinate for a bit before settling on that score but i already gave the anime a perfect score so it's not outside the realm of possibility. 
i'd like to thank in particular Emily Balistrieri for (i'm assuming faithfully!) maintaining Morimi's incredibly unique voice in her translation. i completely forgot that it was translated, quite frankly, since it felt like the words had directly left Morimi's hands!

No Longer Human by Junji Ito

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I remember reading Dazai's original as a very, very black comedy. I also remember reading Ito's previous work Uzumaki as a comedy, where the bit was how much more absurd the situation could get considering the horror of the book is centered around spirals. So naturally when you combine the two the result is deeply disturbing. I think putting images to Dazai's language properly accentuates the horror present in his story, as such this is a great little addition to the original. There are some really striking visuals all throughout the book. Ito does make certain questionable decisions (

I think adding Dazai directly as a character was really strange and corny, especially because there is an obvious shift in the prose. It's really hard to take seriously when Osamu Dazai is telling his book's character "Make sure to read my book! :D" in his own story. It made more sense when I remembered the original story was framed as "Hello I'm Osamu Dazai and I found these writings and I know this guy in real life" but it still feels really shoehorned in and unnecessarily in your face compared to the ambiguity of the rest of the story.

) but ultimately this was a wonderful adaptation of an already excellent story.

Close to the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration by David Wojnarowicz

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Lucien described David Wojnarowicz as the artist who died super tragically. My immediate thought was that it wasn't particularly tragic. It is, but I think what I meant was that it isn't unique in its tragedy so it didn't feel particularly tragic. Many people died as he did (young with AIDS). I think that's what makes it especially tragic.
This book is deeply personal and wholly unique to David, but I think through his rage, through his grief, he was able to depict the bleak existence of being queer in america during the height of the AIDS epidemic. this isn't conveyed through vivid language or raw imagery but instead through his strongest characteristic, his empathy. yes he was filled with nothing but hatred for the government and the church and the people who hated him but what propelled him through life through the hatred was how much he cared for his community. how deeply he loved those around him and how much pain he felt for them. i think that's what made him so special and important. this is an incredible book.