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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First favourite of the year! Finally!
CW: death of a loved one, PTSD, racism, gore, rape, amputation, torture
“Yes, I understood, God’s truth, that on the battlefield they wanted only fleeting madness. Madmen of rage, madmen of pain, furious madmen, but temporary ones. No continuous madmen. As soon as the fighting ends, we’re to file away our rage, our pain, and our fury. Pain is tolerated, we can bring our pain home on the condition that we keep it to ourselves.”
At Night All Blood Is Black is a feverish exploration of the traumas of war, how they change us, how they destroy us. Alfa and Mademba are the closest friends, inseparable - until the First World War kills Mademba on the battlefield and leaves Alfa behind, broken forever.
This novel starts with Mademba's death and then follows Alfa as he slowly spirals in the attempt to avenge him. The plot is interwoven with memories of their youth in Senegal and philosophical ruminations on war, colonialism, what makes one human, and life in general.
“...I had been inhuman by obeying duty's voice. But I was now free to listen no longer, to no longer obey the voices that command us not to be human when we must.”
I flew through this book. The moment I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Aside from when I had to in favor of just sitting there, staring at the wall and letting this novel sink it. Because as short as this it is, it is also intense. Every word is intentional magic, poetic and passionate, and vulnerable. Be warned that the story also derails quite a lot towards the end, but the final turn had me on the floor in tears. This was heartbreaking and gorgeous. A new favourite.
CW: death of a loved one, PTSD, racism, gore, rape, amputation, torture
“Yes, I understood, God’s truth, that on the battlefield they wanted only fleeting madness. Madmen of rage, madmen of pain, furious madmen, but temporary ones. No continuous madmen. As soon as the fighting ends, we’re to file away our rage, our pain, and our fury. Pain is tolerated, we can bring our pain home on the condition that we keep it to ourselves.”
At Night All Blood Is Black is a feverish exploration of the traumas of war, how they change us, how they destroy us. Alfa and Mademba are the closest friends, inseparable - until the First World War kills Mademba on the battlefield and leaves Alfa behind, broken forever.
This novel starts with Mademba's death and then follows Alfa as he slowly spirals in the attempt to avenge him. The plot is interwoven with memories of their youth in Senegal and philosophical ruminations on war, colonialism, what makes one human, and life in general.
“...I had been inhuman by obeying duty's voice. But I was now free to listen no longer, to no longer obey the voices that command us not to be human when we must.”
I flew through this book. The moment I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Aside from when I had to in favor of just sitting there, staring at the wall and letting this novel sink it. Because as short as this it is, it is also intense. Every word is intentional magic, poetic and passionate, and vulnerable. Be warned that the story also derails quite a lot towards the end, but the final turn had me on the floor in tears. This was heartbreaking and gorgeous. A new favourite.
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read it all at once. It's hard to keep reading but it's harder to leave yourself time to think about it in-between.
The first part is very violent, graphic and disturbing. It's interesting to start from the present and go back to the past, from bad to good. It shows how even a beast is actually human and there is no good and evil well separated. It shows how villains, if he is a villain at all, are not born. It can "happen" to anyone.
The narration is episodical, giving the main character a multifaceted outlook, which is simply the intricate nature of humans. The writing is somewhat a stream of consciousness, sometimes confusing and repetitive but really aesthetically pleasing, poetic almost.
There is some true wisdom in this book, in small snippets, especially from minor characters. A core piece of literature in my collection.
The first part is very violent, graphic and disturbing. It's interesting to start from the present and go back to the past, from bad to good. It shows how even a beast is actually human and there is no good and evil well separated. It shows how villains, if he is a villain at all, are not born. It can "happen" to anyone.
The narration is episodical, giving the main character a multifaceted outlook, which is simply the intricate nature of humans. The writing is somewhat a stream of consciousness, sometimes confusing and repetitive but really aesthetically pleasing, poetic almost.
There is some true wisdom in this book, in small snippets, especially from minor characters. A core piece of literature in my collection.
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“That's war: it's when God lags behind the music of men, when he can't untangle the threads of so many fates at the same time.”
2.75
Impactful, short and deeply disturbing. Very interesting rhythmic, fluid style; added to the realism. It did what it set out to do. I can understand why it got accolades; I can sense it’s good, objectively and mostly stylistically. Subjectively it made me deeply uncomfortable, beginning to end. I struggled with the ending. And although art and literature do not need to comfortable…. I think war books narrated from the trenches might be where I draw my line.
2.75
Impactful, short and deeply disturbing. Very interesting rhythmic, fluid style; added to the realism. It did what it set out to do. I can understand why it got accolades; I can sense it’s good, objectively and mostly stylistically. Subjectively it made me deeply uncomfortable, beginning to end. I struggled with the ending. And although art and literature do not need to comfortable…. I think war books narrated from the trenches might be where I draw my line.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
informative
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:
Yes
Een kort, maar krachtig boek. Ik vind het moeilijk om te beschrijven waarover het ging, wat de focus ligt noch op één verhaal, noch op de personages. Het is een boek vol gevoelens, van woede, frustratie, maar ook liefde en vriendschap. Hierbij worden ook nog raciale verschillen en stereotypen vermeld en bekritiseerd.
Trauma en de horror van de Eerste Wereldoorlog worden weerspiegeld in de schrijfstijl. Deze herhaalt zo goed als op elke pagina dezelfde woorden. De herhaling werkt hier, omdat het de afdaling in waanzin laat zien en de inspanning van Alfa om zichzelf ervan te overtuigen dat hij niet gek is - hij is het echter absoluut aan het verliezen. Het is allemaal in schuld omhuld. Het voelde erg psychologisch, maar ook een hele ervaring.
Nu, wat voor mij onnodig leek, waren de laatste 15 pagina’s. Hierin wordt het hoofdpersonage volledig vernietigd en er is een soort out-of-body experience en fabel, die uit het niets komen. Dat zorgde voor verwarring. Zonder die laatste pagina’s had dit een hogere score gekregen.
Hauntingly beautiful writing. The writing might not be for everyone however. It has a rhythm to it, poetic… but it is repetitive soo I can see how that might annoy some. I listened to the autobiography and it was perfectly executed
This book is brutal and confronting, yet so well written that it is utterly compelling. The insanity and gruesomeness of war is depicted in what reads as a confessional telling of the atrocious acts of the main character. From the first page you want to turn away, yet by the excellent writing, you know you want to deliver further into his mind.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes