Reviews with content warning for Gore - Nachts ist unser Blut schwarz

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Nachts ist unser Blut schwarz by David Diop

101 reviews

bookishbrenbren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

3.0

Alfa, a young Senegalese man, goes to France with his best friend to fight in WWI and loses both his friend and his sanity in the process.

This was a good examination of war and trauma and defense mechanisms brains struggling with PTSD will use to protect themselves. I enjoyed the fusion of, like, oral storytelling mechanisms? If that's how you'd call them. The commentary on racism at the front was also very well written and well-incorporated into the story but, on the whole, I just really mostly feel like WTF did I just read? Like, no plot all vibes, but also there is some plot but secondary to the story?

Also, the MC raped a female character for symbolism and I just didn't find it all that necessary to promote the author's point. It feels like this whole story was about how these Senegalese men were duped into war, which in the author's point is the ultimate act of victimization, of violation, and then he holds up an actual rape and is like "we're both raped now" like oh nice you really got back at those racist colonizer french aristocrats by raping this random white woman. Shrug.

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lanid's review against another edition

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dark sad tense

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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kit_kate's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad

4.25

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thebookstamp's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad slow-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

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georgiarybanks's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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madisonmc's review against another edition

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dark slow-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

4.25

Have you ever sat down and just listened to someone that was spiralling? Did you ever give them the space to reap their soul of all their torment?

That is what this entire novel is, on a very dark level. It’s tiny and it’s rather powerful. A world, a picture, and a story is built with each new chapter. Then each consecutive one, aspects of the previous are broken down, then built back up with new foundations. With every paged turned, the ripple effect is pungent and cathartic. As much as the actions are “savagery” you gain an understanding. As much as you recoil in disgust, you grow in sympathy.

At Night All Blood Is Black, by David Diop (translated by Anna Moschovakis) has a very unique writing style and voice. A perspective of WW1 that you don’t often see. A West African fighting for France in the trenches, not knowing the language, and being encouraged to play the roll of ‘savage’. It was all too common, and not at all that well represented in main stream media. The character, ‘Alfa Ndiaye’s’ journey is an insight into a world of celebrated brutality until you comrades change their mind. It’s a tumultuous downwards spiral of the human mind and the progression of how one decides to deal with what he has experience in an attempt to cope and reconcile with himself.

Note Trigger Warnings: Violence, Gore, Torture, Mental Illness, Rape

Content Warnings