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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After reading some of the reviews I begin to wonder how the two narratives in this novella are connected with one another -- particularly, in light of the title, Minor Detail. One reviewer noted that Shibli really was meant to draw us to the minor details in the narratives, such as the Commander's fever and his systematic cleaning of himself, and the woman's exposure to the heat and her drive on highways. Another reviewer mentioned that the narratives are mirrored, in that they share the common theme of violence, oppression, erasure, and so on. These strike me as astute observation, and I would only like to point out some instances of contrasting minor details that I am unsure what to make of.
1. The Commander patrols the endless Negev desert, endowed by nature, as the woman navigates around the established Walls, constructed by humans.
2. The narrator's detached tone of voice succeeds in creating the claustrophobic environment in which the Commander and his team occupy, but how should we think about the woman's insider voice?
3. Suffering from the bite, the Commander seeks no help whatsoever from his team, while the woman constantly praises her colleagues as "very nice."
4. The Commander controls usage of water to his liking, pouring water from a jerry can to a tin bowl and controlling a hose with his fingers. On the other hand, the woman does not even have enough water to get by in her everyday life, thus indulging in a long shower during her stay in a guesthouse.
5. It seems that we can anticipate the ending of the Commander -- he is likely to die from the bite, as it has been getting worse throughout the narrative. However, the soldier's shot at the woman seems to have come out of nowhere -- her search for chewing gum is mistaken as one for weapon, sure, but what should her unexpected death signify?
1. The Commander patrols the endless Negev desert, endowed by nature, as the woman navigates around the established Walls, constructed by humans.
2. The narrator's detached tone of voice succeeds in creating the claustrophobic environment in which the Commander and his team occupy, but how should we think about the woman's insider voice?
3. Suffering from the bite, the Commander seeks no help whatsoever from his team, while the woman constantly praises her colleagues as "very nice."
4. The Commander controls usage of water to his liking, pouring water from a jerry can to a tin bowl and controlling a hose with his fingers. On the other hand, the woman does not even have enough water to get by in her everyday life, thus indulging in a long shower during her stay in a guesthouse.
5. It seems that we can anticipate the ending of the Commander -- he is likely to die from the bite, as it has been getting worse throughout the narrative. However, the soldier's shot at the woman seems to have come out of nowhere -- her search for chewing gum is mistaken as one for weapon, sure, but what should her unexpected death signify?
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Insanely powerful and gripping. My chest was tight and tense for the entire read, emotionally difficult.
Takeaways
- the long lasting effects of occupation and war, and what is “normal” under those circumstances
- borders exist beyond the physical
Takeaways
- the long lasting effects of occupation and war, and what is “normal” under those circumstances
- borders exist beyond the physical
This was heartbreaking, uncomfortable, and unsettling, but not for the reasons I thought it would be!
It took me considerably longer than usual to navigate through this book, primarily due to the distinctive writing style. This was not an easy read, filled with discomfort, unease, and plenty of details.
Normally, this writing style isn’t my cup of tea. However, in this case, I recognized that the discomfort and details were intentional, and essential to the narrative, and that realization allowed me to appreciate it much more.
The book is split into two parts: the first part, where the incident takes place, was the part I mostly struggled with. Many details felt both repetitive and redundant. I didn't understand why the book was focusing on irrelevant details that I didn't even care about, leaving me clueless about the major incident that I wanted to understand. That is until I put the book down and started to reflect; then, it all clicked into place. That's when the writing style and author’s decisions made sense and I was able to appreciate the risks the author took.
I understand why the major event was, in reality, irrelevant (as cruel as that might sound). The author was not addressing this single incident alone as it wasn’t an isolated incident; the girl in that story was one of thousands that had a similar fate but was never written about. As I dove deeper into that theory, other things started to click into place. The story of this incident was told from the aggressor's point of view, so it makes sense that the brutality and gruesomeness of it wouldn't make it into the report. Instead, they were downplayed as minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, serving as evidence of the pervasive dehumanization that took place.
The second part felt like a different book altogether, following the main character who wants to understand this incident and feels somehow linked to it. Her journey to uncover the truth of what happened is driven by a need to find even the smallest details. We follow her on a journey that wouldn't make sense in our day and age, as almost everything is a few clicks away. That was, in fact, my first thought: "Couldn't she have looked it up online or something?" But then again, that wasn't an option back then, which made me think of how long this aggression has been going on.
This section was hard for multiple reasons, exposing glimpses of a harsh reality and the everyday trauma experienced by the main character. It shed light on how seemingly ordinary aspects of her life, which left her unfazed, were, in fact, deeply traumatizing and stripped her of basic human rights. And the inevitable of how her story would end.
This book was a masterpiece! Not for the actual story or the words written on its pages, but everything between the lines and folds of this book tells a much painful reality that can't be told in a story, that can't be collected or contained in one binding. The collective suffering of a people that words can only attempt to convey.
It took me considerably longer than usual to navigate through this book, primarily due to the distinctive writing style. This was not an easy read, filled with discomfort, unease, and plenty of details.
Normally, this writing style isn’t my cup of tea. However, in this case, I recognized that the discomfort and details were intentional, and essential to the narrative, and that realization allowed me to appreciate it much more.
The book is split into two parts: the first part, where the incident takes place, was the part I mostly struggled with. Many details felt both repetitive and redundant. I didn't understand why the book was focusing on irrelevant details that I didn't even care about, leaving me clueless about the major incident that I wanted to understand. That is until I put the book down and started to reflect; then, it all clicked into place. That's when the writing style and author’s decisions made sense and I was able to appreciate the risks the author took.
I understand why the major event was, in reality, irrelevant (as cruel as that might sound). The author was not addressing this single incident alone as it wasn’t an isolated incident; the girl in that story was one of thousands that had a similar fate but was never written about. As I dove deeper into that theory, other things started to click into place. The story of this incident was told from the aggressor's point of view, so it makes sense that the brutality and gruesomeness of it wouldn't make it into the report. Instead, they were downplayed as minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, serving as evidence of the pervasive dehumanization that took place.
The second part felt like a different book altogether, following the main character who wants to understand this incident and feels somehow linked to it. Her journey to uncover the truth of what happened is driven by a need to find even the smallest details. We follow her on a journey that wouldn't make sense in our day and age, as almost everything is a few clicks away. That was, in fact, my first thought: "Couldn't she have looked it up online or something?" But then again, that wasn't an option back then, which made me think of how long this aggression has been going on.
This section was hard for multiple reasons, exposing glimpses of a harsh reality and the everyday trauma experienced by the main character. It shed light on how seemingly ordinary aspects of her life, which left her unfazed, were, in fact, deeply traumatizing and stripped her of basic human rights. And the inevitable of how her story would end.
This book was a masterpiece! Not for the actual story or the words written on its pages, but everything between the lines and folds of this book tells a much painful reality that can't be told in a story, that can't be collected or contained in one binding. The collective suffering of a people that words can only attempt to convey.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated