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suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Seeing as this book was gifted to me, I really wanted to like it. In thinking of the pros, it is a short and simple read, the plot goes on rather fast. It has all of the parts necessary to make it a good and reflective read, especially for those who are either in a reading slump or just a beginner in diving into the grotesque genre and imagining what critical thought looks like.
That being said, I think my main problem with this book was the translation of it. One of the biggest challenges with translation work is that you want to save all the nitty gritty— all the small things that make the book uniquely it. However, one of the pitfalls of that is that more often than not keeping the nitty gritty can lend to it reading repetitively to the point of it almost feeling like it "tries too hard" to be literature— to the point where it often falls flat, or the book constantly moves at an inconsistent pace of fast and slow. Especially towards the end, I found myself saying "Wait— how did we get here?" or "What's the main point of this?" Though I guess the second question, in some ways, is the point of the book and it becomes especially clear at the end. This book forces you to sit down, draw your mind back, and paint images in your head of what it could all possibly mean. It forces you to cringe, to feel bored at some parts and fast at others in order to truly get a glimpse of what it means to go mad. What it means to be separated yet ultimately connected to those you love? Care for? Trust? It's never quite defined— and in some ways that is what this work feels intended to be. Undefined. There is beauty in this book, do not get me wrong. But sometimes, that beauty is really hard to find, as I am sure it is hard to preserve and replicate as a translator.
That being said, I think my main problem with this book was the translation of it. One of the biggest challenges with translation work is that you want to save all the nitty gritty— all the small things that make the book uniquely it. However, one of the pitfalls of that is that more often than not keeping the nitty gritty can lend to it reading repetitively to the point of it almost feeling like it "tries too hard" to be literature— to the point where it often falls flat, or the book constantly moves at an inconsistent pace of fast and slow. Especially towards the end, I found myself saying "Wait— how did we get here?" or "What's the main point of this?" Though I guess the second question, in some ways, is the point of the book and it becomes especially clear at the end. This book forces you to sit down, draw your mind back, and paint images in your head of what it could all possibly mean. It forces you to cringe, to feel bored at some parts and fast at others in order to truly get a glimpse of what it means to go mad. What it means to be separated yet ultimately connected to those you love? Care for? Trust? It's never quite defined— and in some ways that is what this work feels intended to be. Undefined. There is beauty in this book, do not get me wrong. But sometimes, that beauty is really hard to find, as I am sure it is hard to preserve and replicate as a translator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, War, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Violence, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism
Just so you know, there are pretty graphic sexual scenes— oftentimes demeaning/discussing the women in strange ways with a murky read of consent. As someone who constantly reads old books that handle the erotic in these ways, I will say that I always believe there is a way you can retell a story that pays attention to these details (even more overt content warnings are sufficient).maya7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Narrated by Alfa, a Senegalese soldier serving in the French army during World War I. Facing the painful death of his almost brother-like friend, Alfa was slowly falling into a pit of madness and finally collapsed.
Repetitive sentences were a bit hard for me to get into the story at first, but I was horrified reading the last chapter and went back to the first page again, then the story felt different with more understanding about the background.
A dark and powerful novella about the violence and madness caused by war and colonialism.
Repetitive sentences were a bit hard for me to get into the story at first, but I was horrified reading the last chapter and went back to the first page again, then the story felt different with more understanding about the background.
A dark and powerful novella about the violence and madness caused by war and colonialism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Kidnapping
fernbomb's review against another edition
1.5
I expected something profound with this book, but I cannot get over this book’s treatment of women. Perhaps I missed the point but referring to trenches as a woman “opening up herself” just felt unnecessary and pseudo-intellectual.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Racism
kathryn51's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Minor: Sexual content and Racism
rebeccaquinton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Violence, Murder, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Blood, Torture, Abandonment, War, Suicide, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Gore, Death, and Colonisation
maren_hemsath's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Torture, Racism, Violence, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, and Blood
emilia_digi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Racism
c_hris_t_ine's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
at first glance seems repetitive, but holds so many secrets and discoverables when thinkign about broad themes. amazing writing, confronting themes - treat with discretion and sensitivity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Racism and Rape
chichio's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“God’s truth, that’s how things go, that’s how the world is: each thing is double.”
Jesus Christ. This was such a searing experience. I couldn’t put the book down…I literally read it all in one sitting.
This book takes on large themes despite it being such a quick read. In this narrative, Diop speaks on race, war, toxic masculinity, and the way these three things aggravate one another, coming together to create a complex discussion on humanity, and the loss thereof.
It’s a dark, unbelievably bleak read, yet it’s still poetic and beautifully literary—I found myself highlighting a lot of lines. The character voice in this is so strong and disturbing; Diop drags you into the mind of our protagonist, Alfa, and forces you to accompany him during his descent into madness. In the latter half of the book, as Alfa grows narcissistic, you begin to sense that he’s not just an unreliable narrator, but also an unbelievably unlikeable one, worn down into something ugly by grief and guilt.
The prose is filled with repetition. Repetition of phrases, themes, and metaphors, but it works. It works. They perfectly highlight Alfa’s mental state, and the nonlinear narrative confuses you and forces you to keep up with him as his mind bounces between the past and the present, reality and delusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Classism, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Xenophobia, War, Death, and Sexual assault
erebus53's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
God's truth, I know, I understand.
This is a story that is deftly crafted. It is a lyrically poetic short-read, that has lines that are used and reused like a mantra. They ground the story where the mentality of the narrator is not always so grounded.
In war the conflict is as much internal as external, and this is a story of duality. It primarily deals with the narrator's conflict over moral imperatives, and the practicalities of situations. Is morality absolute?, or is the outcome worse when you "do what you must"? When you are doing Good because you have unquestioning duty, you do not stop and think for yourself. These are the disconcerting grey areas that more people ignore.
The self analysis of a man who has gone through, and been damaged by, horrendous trauma
unearths the revelation that there are sometimes "thoughts too well dressed to be honest". It's clear that the emotional and mental state of people in conflict puts pressure on these thoughts.. the simple truths or simple lies that we are taught, that are used to describe our value systems, and the roles that others expect us to fill.
War demands inhumanity of humans. It calls brutality good, and rewards those who are unwise. It expects you to ignore your own survival instinct and lean a little into the insanity of Bravery.. but you need to come back from that edge. People want temporary madmen; "no continuous madmen".
This story told by a broken person who has leaned too far into the madness of war, has a great narrative flow. The tal is laid out about the harshness of battle, and some life in the trenches, and in recollections from before the war. The ending is a bit of a departure from the rest of the story and has a fabulous twist. Whether or not the narrator is reliable is left up to your scrutiny.
This is a story that is deftly crafted. It is a lyrically poetic short-read, that has lines that are used and reused like a mantra. They ground the story where the mentality of the narrator is not always so grounded.
In war the conflict is as much internal as external, and this is a story of duality. It primarily deals with the narrator's conflict over moral imperatives, and the practicalities of situations. Is morality absolute?, or is the outcome worse when you "do what you must"? When you are doing Good because you have unquestioning duty, you do not stop and think for yourself. These are the disconcerting grey areas that more people ignore.
The self analysis of a man who has gone through, and been damaged by, horrendous trauma
unearths the revelation that there are sometimes "thoughts too well dressed to be honest". It's clear that the emotional and mental state of people in conflict puts pressure on these thoughts.. the simple truths or simple lies that we are taught, that are used to describe our value systems, and the roles that others expect us to fill.
War demands inhumanity of humans. It calls brutality good, and rewards those who are unwise. It expects you to ignore your own survival instinct and lean a little into the insanity of Bravery.. but you need to come back from that edge. People want temporary madmen; "no continuous madmen".
This story told by a broken person who has leaned too far into the madness of war, has a great narrative flow. The tal is laid out about the harshness of battle, and some life in the trenches, and in recollections from before the war. The ending is a bit of a departure from the rest of the story and has a fabulous twist. Whether or not the narrator is reliable is left up to your scrutiny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, Racism, Sexual content, War, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Racial slurs, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis