I deferred reading this book for a decade, I’m not even sure why!
I finally finished it within a week, and I am now left conflicted about whether I should reread it to grasp more of its nuances.
What I gathered is that the protagonist, Yozo is terrified of human beings because of their "hideous nature", their rage and the way they can be one person in one moment and someone entirely different the next.
The story is presented as a series of notebooks that Yozo wrote, which were later published.
He frequently compares humans to monsters. Given the brutality we see in the news it is difficult to disagree with him, humans are sometimes more monstrous than we can comprehend.
Yozo is never properly loved as a child, he always felt compelled to be compliant and never voiced his own opinions. As he grew older, he became increasingly docile.
The men in his life largely took advantage of him, and while the women were often kinder, he still felt a desperate need to run away from them.
Ultimately, Yozo could have perhaps led a better life if those around him had been more honest and forthcoming, but this may also not have worked given he himself claimed he can't understand human (or the society)
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I googled about the author and it broke me, that much of what I read in this book reflected in his life as well.
by ruminatingpoet