Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

21 reviews

biobeetle's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Child death, Colonisation, Murder, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, War, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Medical content

Minor: Vomit

vklyle99's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, War, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, Rape, Child death, Death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Racism, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Violence

clovetra's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

fuck.
genuinely i think this is a must-read for everyone.
not only did this book educate me on what life is like as a palestinian in such an intimate way, both in the past and present, but it was also well written.
i found myself craving this book.
and my god the ending. i am this close to crying.
i have no words this was heartbreakingly good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Colonisation, Medical content, Death, and Rape

Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault

meganpbell's review

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

alyssamakesart's review

challenging dark informative reflective medium-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? Yes

4.5

The biggest threat to Israel's story in this book is not the two horrific moments of violence in this novel. Those can lazily be denied as unrealistic and moments unsure to the fog of war. However, the trek to each moment is a series of acts of violence of themselves. Racism and physical occupation being the main two. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Confinement, Racism, Islamophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Sexual violence, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gun violence

Minor: Cultural appropriation and War

reads2cope's review against another edition

5.0

“By the way, I hope I didn’t cause any awkwardness when I mentioned the incident with the soldier, or the checkpoint, or when I reveal that we are living under occupation here. Gunshots and military vehicle sirens, and sometimes the sound of helicopters, warplanes, and shelling, the subsequent wail of ambulances; not only do these noises precede breaking news reports, but now they have to compete with the dog’s barking, too.”

Haunting and clear, the repetition in certain scenes would put me into a meditative trance until the next development shocked me out of it. Incredible and devastating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Child abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Torture, War, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Racism, Colonisation, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide

bookswithbethx's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, War, Torture, Sexual violence, Child death, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Misogyny, Genocide, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual content, and Rape

milanaradic's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Rape

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

emilily's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

This book is hard to review, and harder to read. 

Utterly challenging, this book feels sluggish and repetitive at times, but shocking and jarring at others. This books is divided into two parellel stories of Israeli soldiers in 1949 who capture, assault, and kill a young girl, followed by the modern day story of a young woman who learns of the historic tragedy, and becomes obsessed with uncovering more about the murdered girl. 

The prose is carefully considered, but uncomfortable to read. 'Minor details' are ever present -- the storytelling often gives much attention to little, mundane details, to the point of feeling irritating. I often wanted the author to get on with it, instead of spending such a long time on seemingly irrelevant details... but I think that was the point. The author seemed to want the reader to feel uncomfortable while reading these passages. It hits harder when you realise that exceptional care is taken to describe these minor details in the commander's life, while virtually no detail is provided about the captured girl. This creates space to reflect on the fact that 'history is told by the victors', while victims seldom have their stories recorded in the same detail. 

The book is also filled with minor details drawing attention to the similarities and differences between the region in 1949 vs the present. Throughout the story of the modern day women, readers are provided insight into the current challenges of living as a Palestinian, while noting how little has changed since the troubles of 1949. 

Minor Detail is not an easy read. It is horribly uncomfortable and challenging, yet there is no denying that it is impactful. I'll be thinking about this read for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Murder, War, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Colonisation, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, War, and Antisemitism