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geesjournals's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor Detail was such a rollercoaster of emotions. The intertwined plots are deliberate, the writing is expertly done, and the symbolism is unmatched. Adania Shibli did a fantastic job sharing the complex depth of tragedy while not sensationalizing or romanticizing it.
There is so much tucked within 144 pages that one read is not enough to fully unfold the intricacies. I'm convinced that you get from this book what you give to it. So much remains open for interpretation that any conclusion the reader arrives at is more a commentary on us rather than the book.
Minor Detail is a heart-wrenching must-read.
There is so much tucked within 144 pages that one read is not enough to fully unfold the intricacies. I'm convinced that you get from this book what you give to it. So much remains open for interpretation that any conclusion the reader arrives at is more a commentary on us rather than the book.
Minor Detail is a heart-wrenching must-read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
bek_p87's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
A devastating short novel about a horrific act committed during the early days of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and about one woman's obsession with it, decades later. Visceral and timely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Rape, Murder, and War
samantha_duncan's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
[CW: violence, rape, murder, colonialism]
"The car cuts through the landscape at high speed. The road is nearly perfectly straight, but even so, I keep glancing at the Israeli map unfurled across the seat next to me, fearing that I may get lost in the folds of a scene which fills me with a great feeling of alienation, seeing all the changes that have befallen it. It's been a long time since I've passed through here, and wherever I look, all the changes constantly reassert the absence of anything Palestinian: the names of cities and villages on road signs, billboards written in Hebrew, new buildings, even vast fields abutting the horizon on my left and right. After a disappearance, that's when the fly returns to hover over the painting."
I can't remember the last time I read a novella that does as much as Minor Detail does. In a way, it's a collection of minor details, taking place over two halves, that coalesce around major themes, like war, colonialism, and violence. The first half is set in 1949, a year after the Nakba (which Israelis refer to as the War of Independence), in which ~700,000 Palestinians were displaced. This part details an Israeli troop's murdering of an entire encampment, capture, rape, and murder of a Palestinian teenager. The second half, set in the present day, follows a woman who discovers this story and becomes a bit obsessed with finding out more, partly because the event occurred exactly 25 years before she was born.
The small details in this symbolize or are layered over the larger war efforts. An Israeli commander has a spider bite that festers, much in the way the troop's hatred spurs them to go from having the teenager work in the kitchen to raping and killing her instead. Her hair is doused in gasoline to combat headlice, while in the present-day narrative, the narrator spills gasoline on herself when filling up her car. The Palestinian girl's life is erased as she is buried in the desert, and again, as the present-day narrator hits roadblock after roadblock when trying to uncover information about her. Hard, as well, not to think of the parallels to western media's erasure of the current genocide taking place in Gaza.
"The car cuts through the landscape at high speed. The road is nearly perfectly straight, but even so, I keep glancing at the Israeli map unfurled across the seat next to me, fearing that I may get lost in the folds of a scene which fills me with a great feeling of alienation, seeing all the changes that have befallen it. It's been a long time since I've passed through here, and wherever I look, all the changes constantly reassert the absence of anything Palestinian: the names of cities and villages on road signs, billboards written in Hebrew, new buildings, even vast fields abutting the horizon on my left and right. After a disappearance, that's when the fly returns to hover over the painting."
I can't remember the last time I read a novella that does as much as Minor Detail does. In a way, it's a collection of minor details, taking place over two halves, that coalesce around major themes, like war, colonialism, and violence. The first half is set in 1949, a year after the Nakba (which Israelis refer to as the War of Independence), in which ~700,000 Palestinians were displaced. This part details an Israeli troop's murdering of an entire encampment, capture, rape, and murder of a Palestinian teenager. The second half, set in the present day, follows a woman who discovers this story and becomes a bit obsessed with finding out more, partly because the event occurred exactly 25 years before she was born.
The small details in this symbolize or are layered over the larger war efforts. An Israeli commander has a spider bite that festers, much in the way the troop's hatred spurs them to go from having the teenager work in the kitchen to raping and killing her instead. Her hair is doused in gasoline to combat headlice, while in the present-day narrative, the narrator spills gasoline on herself when filling up her car. The Palestinian girl's life is erased as she is buried in the desert, and again, as the present-day narrator hits roadblock after roadblock when trying to uncover information about her. Hard, as well, not to think of the parallels to western media's erasure of the current genocide taking place in Gaza.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Rape and Murder
racheldoesthing's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Violence, and War
Minor: Genocide and War
kshertz's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It’s actually really hard to review this book because it has such beautiful writing but such awful content. It’s uncomfortable to read at times but it’s also extremely important and well done. Sometimes I got lost in the narrative. But if you have any interest in Palestine and want to dive into a narrative that will absorb you into this situation through two stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
drupka's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Rape, and Murder
hollinda's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I wish this was longer, but I also understand that it's conciseness is why it is so impactful. Really beautiful writing style, and both informative yet deeply personal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, and Murder
clone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Rape
julkaim's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
„Sometimes it’s inevitable for the past to be forgotten, especially if the present is no less horrific”.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, and War
crcrane's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Important read but a very heavy topic
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and War