Written just before Osamu Dazai killed himself, No Longer Human is distinctly heart-breaking and disturbing.

Considered (among other things) his masterpiece and a suicide note, No Longer Human is about a man who finds it difficult to relate to anyone or anything. To blend in society he resorts to buffoonery and deceit as a growing child, and to alcohol later. While it’s obvious that he’s mentally unwell, it isn’t entirely obvious what he suffers from. If you’re interested, there’s a lot of discourse out there.

“What, I wondered, did he mean by “society”? The plural of human beings? Where was the substance of this thing called “society”?”

The book is divided into 3 parts, and each part depicts a stage of his life. Along the way he matures, changes, and meets people. But the throbbing sense of alienation never leaves him (much like for all of us in real life, I suppose). All in all, No Longer Human is about why staying silent about injustices and wearing a mask for society just doesn't work out. It wears us off to the point we fail to recognize ourselves, and in turn others.While the entire text is quite depressing and thought-provoking, the acute observations made by the narrator about society, politics, and human nature underline a dark and cynical humour bubbling under the meat of the book.