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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Interesting voice in general an enjoyable read, really feel like you are inside the head of someone losing grip on reality.
dark
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book tells the story of Alfa Ndiaye from his perspective, a Senegalese soldier fighting alongside the French in World War 1. Alfa’s story starts with his more than brother Mademba Diop being killed in combat the rest of the story that unfolds is one of the gruesome reality of war and mental breakdown while learning more about their lives before the war.
The way this story is written, while it is repetitive and can get a bit annoying due to that, is absolutely on point with what David Diop, the author, wanted to convey. The writing is blunt and to the point which adds to the gruesome vibe of the story. I loved the way the author conveyed Alfa’s thoughts and mental state all the way until the end which was haunting.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First read 07/2025
I've long thought that if someone has the temerity to write something literary and miserable, they should at least have the good grace to keep it short. This is fortunately the case here. I hear that students in France are having to study it in their literature classes; they have my sympathies. Before reading I was anticipating an Of Mice and Men, so I was a little surprised by how much sex there was, until I remembered that I'd also studied A Clockwork Orange in school.
The only thing that really surprised me about the book was the amount of repetition. It put me very strongly in mind of the epic of Gilgamesh, and there are other parallels, too: a strong, beautiful, arrogant young man loses his dear friend and grapples at length with his grief. But unlike in Gilgamesh, the friend lives on, in a small way, through Alfa. The book is well done, but I'm awfully glad to have finished it.
I've long thought that if someone has the temerity to write something literary and miserable, they should at least have the good grace to keep it short. This is fortunately the case here. I hear that students in France are having to study it in their literature classes; they have my sympathies. Before reading I was anticipating an Of Mice and Men, so I was a little surprised by how much sex there was, until I remembered that I'd also studied A Clockwork Orange in school.
The only thing that really surprised me about the book was the amount of repetition. It put me very strongly in mind of the epic of Gilgamesh, and there are other parallels, too: a strong, beautiful, arrogant young man loses his dear friend and grapples at length with his grief. But unlike in Gilgamesh, the friend lives on, in a small way, through Alfa. The book is well done, but I'm awfully glad to have finished it.
If i hear another "God's truth" i will go insane.
2.75 stars
This was definitely dark but I expected a bit more out of it.
This was definitely dark but I expected a bit more out of it.
Two Senegalese soldiers, Alfa Ndiaye and Mademba Diop are caught up in the crazy carnage of the first world war. God's truth, this is a dark read about rage, trauma and madness. Mademba is cut open by an enemy bayonet
This is a visceral short novel about the horrors of war, beautifully written that will stay with the reader a long time after they have put it down.
groping the muddy battlefield for his guts so he could stuff them back into his open belly.He asks and finally begs Alfa his more-than-brother to end his life, but Alfa can't. As Mademba finally dies, Alfa racked by guilt turns savage, he takes on suicidal missions across no-man's land to capture, torture and kill blue-eyed enemy soldiers, returning to his platoon with the enemy's rifle and the gruesome trophy of a severed hand. At first his fellow soldiers celebrate his covert missions but soon they become scared and he is sent to a psychologist for evaluation.
This is a visceral short novel about the horrors of war, beautifully written that will stay with the reader a long time after they have put it down.