ðə stɹˈɛŋθ ʌv dˈæzaɪ ɪn poːɹtɹˈeɪɪŋ ðə sˌɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən ʌvðə pɹˈoʊɾɐɡənˌɪst, dᵻskɹˈaɪbɪŋ ðə nˈɑːvəl æz "blˈiːk ɪn ɐ wˈeɪ ðæt ɪz bˈoʊθ ɛkstɹˈiːm ænd jˈɛt ˈɔːlsoʊ stɹˈeɪndʒli ʌnfˈoːɹst".
the strength of Dazai in portraying the situation of the protagonist, describing the novel as "bleak in a way that is both extreme and yet also strangely unforced".