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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This book is poetically sickening, a real exploration of the beautiful and disorienting de-realisation within war, the position of enemies and friends and the brutality of glory. It is graphic and yet never completely overwhelmingly so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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 was a nice, brisk read that was super interesting. It deals with a premise I was unfamiliar with and told in a very unique way.
The story follows a Senegalese man in WW1 who witnesses his best friend slowly bleed out after he refuses to end his suffering early. The book details how he copes with the loss, what led them there and what he does afterwards. The book offers a unique look into how an imperialist nation treats its colonized peoples, expecting them to be animals and savages to the enemy (but not to us, and not too animalistic, but right where we want you). The book shows us through the main characters past and present how his whole life, history and culture has been damaged/destroyed by these warring powers. A book in WW1 from the perspective of one of the African soldiers that fought for the French was a super interesting read and I’m glad it explores all that comes with it. It also has a great finish with me gasping at the last paragraph which is something I haven’t done in a while.
The main problem I have with the book probably comes down to the translation. I’m sure in the native language there’s probably a quick syllable you say before most sentences that directly translates to “I know, I understand” but it feels like half of the sentences seem to start with either that phrase or “gods truth”. It got extremely repetitive, and sometimes the author would repeat things said a paragraph or two ago, just restated. Sometimes whole parts of a chapter I felt like were already said earlier in that same chapter. I don’t know if it’s because of the translation, the original author, or to maybe symbolize the main characters mental state, but either way it was very odd in a book this short to have so much repetition.
Overall I really liked this book. It was a fast read about a deep character from a place and time I haven’t read before and with lots to say.
The story follows a Senegalese man in WW1 who witnesses his best friend slowly bleed out after he refuses to end his suffering early. The book details how he copes with the loss, what led them there and what he does afterwards. The book offers a unique look into how an imperialist nation treats its colonized peoples, expecting them to be animals and savages to the enemy (but not to us, and not too animalistic, but right where we want you). The book shows us through the main characters past and present how his whole life, history and culture has been damaged/destroyed by these warring powers. A book in WW1 from the perspective of one of the African soldiers that fought for the French was a super interesting read and I’m glad it explores all that comes with it. It also has a great finish with me gasping at the last paragraph which is something I haven’t done in a while.
The main problem I have with the book probably comes down to the translation. I’m sure in the native language there’s probably a quick syllable you say before most sentences that directly translates to “I know, I understand” but it feels like half of the sentences seem to start with either that phrase or “gods truth”. It got extremely repetitive, and sometimes the author would repeat things said a paragraph or two ago, just restated. Sometimes whole parts of a chapter I felt like were already said earlier in that same chapter. I don’t know if it’s because of the translation, the original author, or to maybe symbolize the main characters mental state, but either way it was very odd in a book this short to have so much repetition.
Overall I really liked this book. It was a fast read about a deep character from a place and time I haven’t read before and with lots to say.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
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
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At first I struggled a bit with the language of this book at first but after the first 20ish pages I learned to appreciate it and I put a lot of sticky tabs into this book. I liked the first half of the loss of a friend and the following revenge-spree but it lost me a bit in the second half.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Right so ngl this book was fucking confusing as. Like the actual story was good, it wasn’t scary but more so chilling. I really liked the writing style and the way the writer would repeat things in his descriptions. However, the last few chapters left me bamboozled and the ending didn’t really offer much clarity either.