Format : E-book Pages : 116 Published : 1948 Genre : Classical Literature/ Fiction

“Something unpleasant , something from a werewolf or a ghost , can be seen in his face if you look closely . I have never seen any young man with such a weird but beautiful face .”

Summary : This novel follows a Japanese man named Edzo Oba whom from birth has struggled to understand humankind and his attempts to bluff/lie to cover it up along with his fear of people in general . This shows the tragedies that follow someone living a false life as everything seems to crumble around him . The book deals with a plethora of dark issues such as rape , suicide , etc. so make sure your heart is ready before reading .

“Generally , my whole life consisted of embarrassment . I have never managed to understand what human life is .”

Review : I love this book . It feels extremely personal and parts of me felt uncomfortable with how raw some of the emotion is . There is also an element of humor strangely enough throughout . Kind of like the author is mocking himself . My suggestion is if you like dark emotional dramas then give it a go as I enjoyed the book immensely but be cautious of your head space .

“Not really … Oh , I don’t know . He’s a human . And life treated him so badly . It’s awful .”

Recommendations : Books

1. The Ruins by Scott Smith
2. Perfect Blue : Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi
3. Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena
4. A Christmas Tree and A Wedding by Fydor Dostoyevsky
5. Kink by Kathe Koja
6. Goth by Otsuichi
7. Wagner , the Wehr – Wolf by George W.M. Reynolds
8. Black Ambrosia by Elizabeth Engstrom
9. The Crossings by Jack Ketchum
10. A Gent From Bear Creek by Robert E. Howard

Songs

1. How to save A Life – The Fray
2. Crying for Rain – Minami
3. One More Soul to the Call – Akira Yamaoka
4. Complicated – Avril Lavigne
5. Tears of A Clown – Smokey Robinson
6. Coward of the County – Kenny Rogers
7. I Like Beer – Tom T. Hall
8. Live and Let Die – Paul McCartney and the Wings
9. Tragedy – Bee Gees
10. Numb – Linkin Park

Movies

1. The Sunset Limited (2011)
2. Pulse (2001)
3. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
4. The Last House on the Left (1972)
5. Psycho (1960)
6. Manhunter (1986)
7. American Psycho (2000)
8. Fatal Attraction (1987)
9. Kalifornia (1993)
10. The Old Way (2023)

Lesson : Being upfront about what you do or don’t understand can save your life a lot of troubles .