No Longer Human

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai is a 1948 Japanese novel that truly captures the feeling and mindset of a troubled individual. It does this by having a character who feels alone in the world and that feels like there is something wrong with him. It is a very realistic portrayal, in my opinion, of how a depressed person feels. Narrated in the first person, lines like: “now I have neither happiness nor unhappiness, everything passes’’ resonates with those struggling with depression and social alienation.   The story, told in a series of notebooks left behind by the main character, relies on authentic inner dialogue and characterization to reveal a a troubled man incapable of revealing his true self to others.