Reviews

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, عدنية شبلي

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lyloster's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

4.75

seberg95's review

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

putzkid's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

i liked the first part more than the second part. second part was very rambly and intense but because of that i found myself more distracted and couldnt invest in the emotion/character/story as much. maybe intentional?

helenaruby's review against another edition

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dark sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

one of the most haunting books i have ever read. not sure if i have ever had such a visceral reaction to a book. physical discomfort and goosebumps and shivers. it’s partly the incredible writing and also the very sickening realisation that this fictional story is a very real one happening right now.
i won’t go into the plot details cause they’re awful and you guys can see the bio yourselves, but despite being fiction this gave me a chilling and detailed insight into iof tactics and life on occupied land despite being only 112 pages.
every detail in this was written meticulously with so much meaning. there isn’t one description which doesn’t somehow foreshadow or deeply characterise or further detail some small aspect of the story. i wish i could analyse this in a seminar or book club because i’m dying to unpack every small image. and just discuss the very heavy feelings this has evoked for me.
i am so grateful this work was translated and propelled into popularity outside of the arabic speaking world in 2020 or i may never have come across it. it’s a flawless translation btw and i must remember how important translators are in books like this.
i also want to add on that whatever the zone of interest thought it was doing with the whole “banality of evil” thing, this book does about a thousand times better and with more subtlety. i may not have liked the zone of interest but i got the concept of it and if you liked it you’ll absolutely get a lot out of reading this.
to avoid rambling on and on i’ll park it here with my rating. 5/5 🇵🇸

evelinavilhelmsson's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

madalcna's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

meekoh's review against another edition

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4.0

Inspired by the true story of a murdered Palestinian Bedouin girl in 1949 in the Negev desert.

The slow pacing and descriptive narrative helped me get acquainted with the hot desert setting. Shibli's change in narrative perspective from part I to II effectively shifts the tone, contrasting both time periods. The distant writing style of the first half lends it an era of suspense. I felt like an intruder, ease-dropping on a moment in history. Short but impactful.