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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was reading a mor interesting book series at the time
dark
emotional
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
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I am not the target audience for this book. I am not a fan of the stilted writing style. Whether this is the author's style or the translator, I cannot say, but it is not for me. I also did not care about the constant repetition of phrases. It also seems the author just wanted to write something "disturbing" to get a reaction out of the reader without actually putting in any effort for the story. I don't care enough to finish reading this book.
Some trigger warnings: War, Violence, Mutilation and Rape.
At Night All Blood is Black left me stumped. I have no idea what to make of it, and don't think I fully understood it. Maybe that was the point.
Set in the trenches (possibly french) during WW1, we meet Alfa, who has been asked by his "more than brother" Madambe to end his life. Madambe has been shot, he is desperately trying to stuff his insides back into his abdominal cavity and near the end begging his friend to end his life, so his suffering can end. Alfa can't do it, and watching his "more than brother" die sends him down a dark path.
The main theme is clear; war makes monsters of men. Alfa seeks revenge on the enemy by capturing unwitting soldiers, killing them the way Madambe was killed, and taking their gun holding hand as a souvenir. It was violent but not gratuitous. Alfa's growing PTSD is evident and takes a shocking turn at the end of the book, where he believes Madambe had taken over his body and he rapes Mdm Francoise, Nurse at the hospital.
What stumped me? Firstly, there were stories interspersed within the story that I found difficult to understand and how they related to the main story such as the fickle Princess and the Lion Sorcerer, and the story of his mother's disappearance. Secondly, there is a lot of repetition in this book. This is written in the style of story telling orally, and if I had heard it as an audiobook, perhaps I would have appreciated it, but reading it only made me feel bored. Finally, the authors use of the female body to describe the situation was weird, to put it mildly. He describes the opening of the trenches as the opening of a woman's body, and a rumour "with her legs spread, her ass in the air". I couldn't understand why the author chose to describe a women's body so explicitly and offensively, and how it facilitated the story.
Would I still recommend it? Yes. I only gave it three stars because the first half was brilliant, and the second half was a little too messy for my liking.
At Night All Blood is Black left me stumped. I have no idea what to make of it, and don't think I fully understood it. Maybe that was the point.
Set in the trenches (possibly french) during WW1, we meet Alfa, who has been asked by his "more than brother" Madambe to end his life. Madambe has been shot, he is desperately trying to stuff his insides back into his abdominal cavity and near the end begging his friend to end his life, so his suffering can end. Alfa can't do it, and watching his "more than brother" die sends him down a dark path.
The main theme is clear; war makes monsters of men. Alfa seeks revenge on the enemy by capturing unwitting soldiers, killing them the way Madambe was killed, and taking their gun holding hand as a souvenir. It was violent but not gratuitous. Alfa's growing PTSD is evident and takes a shocking turn at the end of the book, where he believes Madambe had taken over his body and he rapes Mdm Francoise, Nurse at the hospital.
What stumped me? Firstly, there were stories interspersed within the story that I found difficult to understand and how they related to the main story such as the fickle Princess and the Lion Sorcerer, and the story of his mother's disappearance. Secondly, there is a lot of repetition in this book. This is written in the style of story telling orally, and if I had heard it as an audiobook, perhaps I would have appreciated it, but reading it only made me feel bored. Finally, the authors use of the female body to describe the situation was weird, to put it mildly. He describes the opening of the trenches as the opening of a woman's body, and a rumour "with her legs spread, her ass in the air". I couldn't understand why the author chose to describe a women's body so explicitly and offensively, and how it facilitated the story.
Would I still recommend it? Yes. I only gave it three stars because the first half was brilliant, and the second half was a little too messy for my liking.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
The prose in this book is so gorgeous, as I was reading a translation of the original this really struck me. This is a deeply devastating book, about a man and what war does to his body and his psyche, what it robs him of and what he does to not be robbed, an effort in vain. This book is about a man living with having committed a betrayal, one he can never forgive himself for. I cannot wait to read more from this author.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A quick tour-de-force that mixes the darkness of war with race and class to a truly rancid conclusion.