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shreyabhatt's review against another edition
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and War
callanisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
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
3.0
Alfa, a Senegalese man from a small village, fights for France in World War I alongside his childhood friend. When his friend suffers a slow, agonizing death on the battlefield, Alfa grapples with impulses toward revenge, apology, and sadism. Diop centers an oft-overlooked band of soldiers in this disturbing novella that digs into the trauma of war.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Torture, Misogyny, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, War, Mental illness, and Colonisation
jesshadlow's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, War, and Body horror
Moderate: Sexual violence and Racism
Minor: Slavery
michaelgreenreads's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
The first third of this novel: š±
The second third of this novel: š„ŗ
The final third of this novel: š±
AT NIGHT ALL BLOOD IS BLACK is a startling confession! Alfa Ndiaye is our narrator, a Senegalese man who volunteers to fight for the French in WW1. After feeling helpless watching his best friend die in the trenches, he abandons civility and starts to intentionally lean into stereotypes of āsavageā madness that his French captain wants the āChocolatā soldiers to embrace to scare the Germans.
His allies initially adore the energy, but once Alfa begins to return every night in a row with a German soldierās hand that he cuts off a new man, his allies quickly become terrified of the depths of what they asked for. **And thatās just the first 45 pages!**
I was not expecting the little beautiful diversions into the double nature of friendship in such an intense book about masculinity, colonialism, and hand amputation. Nor did I expect the protagonist to lose his virginity in a Romeo-and-Juliet story with a rival familyās daughter. Nor was I expecting his parentās relationship to be upsettingly beautiful in context????
That all being said. The third and final act is... a lot... I will not give anything away. Just know... I never knew what to expect from this novel. I wonāt forget it any time soon.
The second third of this novel: š„ŗ
The final third of this novel: š±
AT NIGHT ALL BLOOD IS BLACK is a startling confession! Alfa Ndiaye is our narrator, a Senegalese man who volunteers to fight for the French in WW1. After feeling helpless watching his best friend die in the trenches, he abandons civility and starts to intentionally lean into stereotypes of āsavageā madness that his French captain wants the āChocolatā soldiers to embrace to scare the Germans.
His allies initially adore the energy, but once Alfa begins to return every night in a row with a German soldierās hand that he cuts off a new man, his allies quickly become terrified of the depths of what they asked for. **And thatās just the first 45 pages!**
I was not expecting the little beautiful diversions into the double nature of friendship in such an intense book about masculinity, colonialism, and hand amputation. Nor did I expect the protagonist to lose his virginity in a Romeo-and-Juliet story with a rival familyās daughter. Nor was I expecting his parentās relationship to be upsettingly beautiful in context????
That all being said. The third and final act is... a lot... I will not give anything away. Just know... I never knew what to expect from this novel. I wonāt forget it any time soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
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