Reviews with content warning for Grief - At Night All Blood is Black

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop

37 reviews

abbie_'s review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

Devoured this book in about an hour and a half, it had me hypnotised with its repetitive rhythm so that I couldn’t stop reading even when the violence and bloodshed reached its peak. A short but powerful depiction of war, madness, the violence of colonialism, and brotherhood, At Night All Blood is Black delves deep into the psyche of a man driven to madness by the atrocities he witnesses on the battlefield.

After seeing his best friend (his closer-than-brother) Mademba die with his guts hanging out, feeling partially responsible for goading him into a senseless charge across no-man’s-land, our narrator Alfa begins to spiral. He refuses to end his friend’s life quickly, believing he has already done enough to hurt him, and this sparks a need for vengeance. Alfa begins a bloody campaign, killing enemy soldiers in the same way Mademba died, cutting off their hands as keepsakes, reminders.

This book is quite terrifying, demonstrating the effects the futile violence of war have on a man’s sanity. This is exacerbated by the racist tactics employed; Senegalese soldiers like Alfa and Mademba were ordered to play into the ‘savage’ stereotype, armed with machetes with the aim of striking fear into the heart of the German soldiers.

The translation by Anna Moschovakis is brilliantly executed, holding onto the rhythms and repetition so we can witness Alfa’s descent into madness through his language. He clings to phrases and repeated speech patterns the same way he clings to his last vestiges of sanity. The ending is truly haunting.

Admittedly I didn’t get around to reading many of the International Booker longlisted books this year, but I can still confidently say this was a deserving winner!

Content Warnings

minimarshmallowsonricekrispies's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Really fast paced read, the best ww1 book I have read interesting, emotional and insightful on level that is not represented enough when it comes to war literature , lovely writing style would definitely recommend!

Content Warnings

lakeus's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

SPOILERS AHEAD

I cannot piece together my thoughts on this book and I wonder whether it was the author’s intention to have that effect.

The chapters about Alfa’s time in the trenches following Mademba’s death and slow spiral into madness are so well written and heartbreaking, especially when reflecting on the death of the ‘traitors’ and his murder of the young German soldier- over who he feels some guilt towards. I think it shows the catastrophic effects of war and brutal violence on the human psyche and what grief can do to a person.

However, in the last few chapters I became confused at the drastically different tone and subject- mainly Alfa’s background- and the twist in the final chapter. I have my own interpretations of what it means but it did catch me off guard and shifted the book’s tone to mystery/fantasy depending on how you read it.
I will definitely need to reread the ending at some point.

Content Warnings