Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, عدنية شبلي

18 reviews

meganpbell's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

You may have heard of this book because it was set to receive the 2023 LiBeraturpreis Award at the Frankfurt Book Fair but its ceremony was controversially cancelled in the wake of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. This subtly written yet searing novella powerfully demonstrates the horrors of the Palestinian experience and the violence colonialism inflicts not only marginalized bodies, but on history, geography, and memory. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Blood, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Medical content, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence and Hate crime

ruthhelizabeth's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, War, Racism, Body shaming, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Gore, Colonisation, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Blood, and Gun violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

jonezzzing's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, and Police brutality

Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Rape, and Death

Minor: Animal cruelty and Blood

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

This was a harrowing story about the horrors of settler-colonial violence, one that makes clear that these aren’t a thing of the past and that they will keep repeating so long as the settler-colonial state exists.

The simple writing style employed here is incredibly effective, allowing the reader to look beyond the denotative to the connotative. There was so much to think about, such as the potential insect metaphor for the futility and brutality of colonisation found in the first part (I could be wrong with this interpretation). Also, and I may again be off the mark here, but I believe the only time direct speech was used was when an Israeli character was glorifying the settler-colonialism of Israel. I thought this was significant, as it suggests that even within her own story, the Palestinian main character’s voice is given less weight (through indirect speech) than her oppressors, again illustrating the ills of settler-colonialism. There are countless more examples of deeper meaning to be found.

The book being split into two parts was another skilful choice as it provided the opportunity for parallels which demonstrated, sickeningly, the repetition of settler-colonial violence as well as providing clear contrast between the voices of the Israeli military officer and the Palestinian civilian.

Gut-wrenching is not a strong enough word for this story. I could not put it down. Shibli did not deserve to have her ceremony cancelled. Read books by Palestinian authors!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, War, Gun violence, Violence, Racism, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Grief, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Excrement, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Ableism

bergha1998's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

There’s an old saying I’ve heard about tragedies, don’t show the faces of many tell the story of one. I think this book does such a great job of that. Giving us a main character, whose pretty quirky, and showing how hard her life is as a Palestinian. Making the apartheid Palestinians experience so visceral and personal. My one criticism is the beginning half through the soldier’s POV. I didn’t like the writing as much as the rest of the book. Although I get why it was told (for context), the rest of the story was far more compelling. 

“Sometimes it’s inevitable for the past to be forgotten, especially if the present is no less horrific.”

“The truth of it will never stop chasing me.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Religious bigotry, Blood, Racism, Confinement, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, and War

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

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, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Rape, and War

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

ladysanctuary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

4.0

Dark and informative, and yet very accessible for how grim the subject matter is. A matter of fact view from the ground of Palestinian life under occupation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence