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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, War
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Murder, War
I didn’t enjoy this book, but not because it was bad. It is so incredibly dark, and illustrates the horrors of war/colonialism in an unflinching way.
The narrator becomes more unreliable as the book goes on, the war taking a toll on his spirit and mind. I think that the repetition and style of writing perfectly captures the protagonist’s mental state.
I would read another book by David Diop.
The narrator becomes more unreliable as the book goes on, the war taking a toll on his spirit and mind. I think that the repetition and style of writing perfectly captures the protagonist’s mental state.
I would read another book by David Diop.
A very quick and depressing read.
Wasn’t entirely sure what to expect and whilst it wasn’t ‘enjoyable’ it’s definitely worth a read.
Quite repetitive in places but that’s clearly a style choice. Overall memorable and horrifying.
Wasn’t entirely sure what to expect and whilst it wasn’t ‘enjoyable’ it’s definitely worth a read.
Quite repetitive in places but that’s clearly a style choice. Overall memorable and horrifying.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
very interesting, quick read. was going to be a 3 star read until the last few chapters. enjoyed the use of storytelling and proverbs. standout quotes:
"To think for oneself doesn't necessarily mean to understand everything."
"Pain is tolerated, we can bring our pain home on the condition that we keep it to ourselves."
"God's truth, each thing that carries its opposite within...God's truth, that's how things go, that's how the world is: each thing is double."
"Until a man is dead, he is not yet done being created."
"They died in the shadows of no-man's-land. They deserved a bit of light."
"The greatest secret he taught us was that it isn't the man who controls events but events that control the man. Any event that surprises a man has already been experienced by other men before him. The effects of all human possibilities have already been felt. Nothing that might happen to us here, as terrible or felicitous as it might seem, is new. But what we experience is always new because every man is unique, the way each leaf and every tree is unique. Men share with each other the same lifeblood, but each feeds himself from it differently."
"To translate is never simple. To translate is to betray at the borders, it's to cheat, it's to trade one sentence for another. Tot translate is one of the only human activities in which one is required to lie about the details to convey the truth at large. To translate is to risk understanding better than others that the truth about a word is not single, but double, even single, quadruple, or quintuple."
"To think for oneself doesn't necessarily mean to understand everything."
"Pain is tolerated, we can bring our pain home on the condition that we keep it to ourselves."
"God's truth, each thing that carries its opposite within...God's truth, that's how things go, that's how the world is: each thing is double."
"Until a man is dead, he is not yet done being created."
"They died in the shadows of no-man's-land. They deserved a bit of light."
"The greatest secret he taught us was that it isn't the man who controls events but events that control the man. Any event that surprises a man has already been experienced by other men before him. The effects of all human possibilities have already been felt. Nothing that might happen to us here, as terrible or felicitous as it might seem, is new. But what we experience is always new because every man is unique, the way each leaf and every tree is unique. Men share with each other the same lifeblood, but each feeds himself from it differently."
"To translate is never simple. To translate is to betray at the borders, it's to cheat, it's to trade one sentence for another. Tot translate is one of the only human activities in which one is required to lie about the details to convey the truth at large. To translate is to risk understanding better than others that the truth about a word is not single, but double, even single, quadruple, or quintuple."
dark
emotional
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
Although short, this book packs a punch. Ideally, it should be reading in a few sittings, instead of being dragged out like I did.
You’re left with the feeling that you’ve barely scratched the surface of David Diop’s message - which is how he wants you to feel. It’s one of those books that definitely rewards a second read, more carefully this time, reading to absorb rather than be entertained.
But even on the first read, his sentiments on war are strong and thought-provoking. His musings on how life demands us to be just enough of something, and to go beyond that is to be labeled weird or crazy. On how we must play our roles as dictated, not out of choice but out of compliance. Choice is a luxury we’re told we don’t have.
Ultimately, the best way I can describe this is as a book of dualities, and the messy journey to try and make sense of the extremes.
You’re left with the feeling that you’ve barely scratched the surface of David Diop’s message - which is how he wants you to feel. It’s one of those books that definitely rewards a second read, more carefully this time, reading to absorb rather than be entertained.
But even on the first read, his sentiments on war are strong and thought-provoking. His musings on how life demands us to be just enough of something, and to go beyond that is to be labeled weird or crazy. On how we must play our roles as dictated, not out of choice but out of compliance. Choice is a luxury we’re told we don’t have.
Ultimately, the best way I can describe this is as a book of dualities, and the messy journey to try and make sense of the extremes.
Beautiful language but very repetitive. The book could have been halved and still say the same.
Also sometimes u got a bit lost in the ramblings of the character. But had very nice imagery.
Also sometimes u got a bit lost in the ramblings of the character. But had very nice imagery.
