The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai: a review

Having already read No Longer Human (also known as Human Disqualification — a book which I’ve been unable to review yet because of the intense overwhelming feelings it inspires), I had a fair idea of what I was getting myself into with The Setting Sun. However, that did not lesson the onslaught of emotions that Dazai’s works makes you feel. I haven’t come across many writers who write pain so descriptively that it occupies a place and stays, refusing to leave. After finishing the book, it felt like I was in a trance, in mourning for the loss and suffering that these characters experience. The story introduces us to morally flawed people: aristocrats forced to give up on their lavish life and move to a country side — to an outsider who hasn’t known these perks, their new life still would look comfortable, but to Kazuko (our protagonist) and her family: her widowed mother and her brother, Naoji — it’s a huge downgrade. As readers, the capitalistic nature of their life can be looked through a prism of scorn, but as the story progresses, we end up sympathising with these characters as we see them assimilating themselves to their new lifestyle.

There isn’t much plot to this book, most of it is contemplative and driven by the characters’ thoughts and yet it manages to keep you engrossed. This is something I’ve often noticed in Japanese art forms, the slice of life nature seems almost intuitive and is successful in keeping the audience’s attention. With The Setting Sun, perhaps it’s because of how emotive it is. Despite the separation in time and culture and class, the emotions transverse to the reader. Dazai’s lived experience is also what makes the book so strong. You see the writer’s reflections on life and how out of place he feels through Naoji’s words. Part of the book is told through a letter format, this helps us learn how aware the characters are of their flaws — and when they do give into them, it makes you despise the characters but also feel sympathy because of how humane their actions truly are.

The strongest part of the entire book, has to be Naoji’s letter to Kazuko. This is perhaps the closest the writer comes to telling us of how it is to walk in his shoes. I could read it over and over again and still find it as impactful as the first time, if not more. To read Dazai feels like an invasive experience, I felt this more so in my first book of his than this one. Maybe because it’s done through a well established character, you’re able to separate him from the inspiration who is the author himself.

“Thus everyday, from morning to night, I wait in despair for something. I wish I could be glad that I was born, that I’m alive, that there are people and a world. Won’t you shove aside the morality that blocks you?”

The Setting Sun will go down as one of my favourite reads of the year. Read it if you want something that makes your heartache, contemplate unhappy emotions and existentialism. It does contain a lot of triggers as well, so here’s a content warning for you: suicide, loss of a parent, depression, addiction and alcoholism. If you aren’t in a mentally good space, I would not recommend this book. But if you are, then this is definitely a must read!