Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, عدنية شبلي

106 reviews

fluoresensitive's review against another edition

challenging tense 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? No

5.0

Haunting and deeply depressing. The smell of gasoline and the howling of dogs echo through time. Every small detail of the mundanity and senselessness of military occupation and colonialism bind and paralyze (like a spider bite….)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Colonisation

bookishbrenbren's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

During the Nakba, colonizing? israeli? soldiers murder a family of Bedoins without cause and repeatedly rape the kidnapped daughter. Roughly 50 years later, a Palestinian woman becomes obsessed with the report of this crime. 

I did think this book was well-written and compelling but to be honest, the second half of the book was so boring that it ruined the book for me. And the first half was so grotesque, both with violence and body horror, that I was looking for the second half to save it, so was let down doubly. While the book had moments that were compelling, especially the character development of the MC, and the portrait of modern life under israeli occupation, the vast majority of it was just a list of uneventful actions, e.g., "she got in the car, she walked into the museum, she looked at this thing, she looked at that thing," ad nauseam. Whatever the point of that particularly literary tool was, it was lost on me and I can say confidently, it was over-used. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

dre721's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

The ENDING?????? Hello??!?? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Islamophobia, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

marjoleinvanderspoel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Minor Detail is a small book about a large topic. Horrific, poignant and deeply chilling, it was a singular reading experience that I am likely to continue thinking about for a long while yet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

catandherbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Racism

lolita's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Religious bigotry