Reviews

At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop

missyjohnson's review

4.0

book club 2.0 September 2023. It is hard to write my thoughts on this book. It was hard to read and easy to read. This story made me think about madness and how thoughts flow. It made me think of the madness of war. It made me think about relationships. Alfa's friend, Mademba is killed in war. Alfa stays with him until he dies. He does not put his friend out of his misery even though Mademba begs. This incident causes Alfa to slide into madness. We read about his "hunting" of the enemy during attacks as well as background to his life in Senagal before the war. by the end of this short book, I am wondering so many things about Alfa. did he rape the nurse at the hospital or was it consensual? did the time with Fary really happen as is narrated? Was it really Alfa that narrated?
looking forward to the discussion on this one.

hnj1512's review

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

A very odd and disturbing book, not entirely sure what the plot was. 

celsa's review against another edition

3.0

*2.5*

nicoleplec's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jujubahn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

minnie_pearl's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

4.0

endlesswonder's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

dvargas's review

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

steka's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lucillemm's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Poetic, dark, unapologetic. Diop’s writing style is repetitive but it adds to the torture that Alfa is experiencing and helps the reader to experience Alfa’s grief. This book gives a glimpse into Senegalese men fighting for the French in WWI and the dehumanising effects of war on young men ripped from their homes in the prime of their lives. I would recommend reading this book in one sitting so you can really settle into the feelings the author is evoking in the reader.