The Setting Sun

“I am afraid because I can so clearly foresee my own life rotting away of itself, like a leaf that rots without falling, while I pursue my round of existence from day to day.”

I liked but didn't love Dazai's No Longer Human, I found it too depressing for me to understand the message. However, I think this book is my favorite of his so far. It's quite pessimistic, of course. But I thought it was an emotional, fast-paced read. The social status, the end of an era, and the beautiful relationship between mother and daughter were all nuanced in this story.

This is such a vividly described and despairingly tragic tale that it transports you completely into the narrator's mind. Like other books written by Japanese authors, this one has more of an introspective and intimate feel to it rather than a plot-driven story. There's a lot explored... traumas, emotional turbulences, symbolism of snakes. There's not much to the story if you seek to find something plot-wise, but if you wish to experience the heavy feelings of a crumbling Japanese society post-war (with a dash of miserable sadness), then this book is for you.

I'm renewing my subscription to depression premium.

Dazai Osamu’s works, I feel, must be read when you're at a very specific place mentally, unless you want to later find yourself falling into the abyss. It's because he completely understands the depths that human despair can reach, that is the reason why his books are received as “dark, realistic, depressing”. A lot of what was written in this book clearly reflects Dazai sensei’s own feelings towards life and living. There's a lot to be said about the frequency in which death and suicide are mentioned in this book. Which is all the more reason why I think the timing in reading this book matters.