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boofhead's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-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
4.0
shivels's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
naddie_reads's review against another edition
3.5
This is the second book I’ve read by David Diop, and tonally “Beyond the Door of No Return” feels different than “At Night All Blood is Black”, which may be in part due to Diop’s choice of.
Translated from French, the book follows Michel Adanson, white French botanist in 1749 who, upon his death, revealed to his daughter the story of a Senegalese woman named Maram whom he had become obsessed with while he had been on a research trip in Senegal. The legend of Maram and her miraculous escape from slavery played a central role in Michel’s journey in Senegal, though we also see Michel’s role while he participated in the colonial exercise of an empire based on the slave trade which forms the heart of the narrative.
Diop’s choice of POV that centers around a white man obsessed with a black woman which ‘humanizes’ him when juxtaposed against the other white colonizers made for an interesting choice. It’s similar to Hanya Yanagihara’s “The People in the Trees” in that sense — they both expose how, in addition to the resource exploitation rampant during these countries’ colonizations, science is also being used as a tool to exploit the countries’ people and cultures. The examination of the ethics of such practices may be subtle in this particular book, but they are there between the lines nonetheless. I don’t particularly love this as the writing is far less poetic compared to “At Night All Blood is Black”, but I do appreciate how the book raises the question of morality, ethics, and the so-called White Man’s Burden ™️ which nobody had asked these white men to take on in the first place.
Translated from French, the book follows Michel Adanson, white French botanist in 1749 who, upon his death, revealed to his daughter the story of a Senegalese woman named Maram whom he had become obsessed with while he had been on a research trip in Senegal. The legend of Maram and her miraculous escape from slavery played a central role in Michel’s journey in Senegal, though we also see Michel’s role while he participated in the colonial exercise of an empire based on the slave trade which forms the heart of the narrative.
Diop’s choice of POV that centers around a white man obsessed with a black woman which ‘humanizes’ him when juxtaposed against the other white colonizers made for an interesting choice. It’s similar to Hanya Yanagihara’s “The People in the Trees” in that sense — they both expose how, in addition to the resource exploitation rampant during these countries’ colonizations, science is also being used as a tool to exploit the countries’ people and cultures. The examination of the ethics of such practices may be subtle in this particular book, but they are there between the lines nonetheless. I don’t particularly love this as the writing is far less poetic compared to “At Night All Blood is Black”, but I do appreciate how the book raises the question of morality, ethics, and the so-called White Man’s Burden ™️ which nobody had asked these white men to take on in the first place.
paromita_m's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emziesreads's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
laura_reads_'s review against another edition
dark
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
anseq's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Sexual assault, and Colonisation
angelackrueger's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
mt_gilley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A beguiling, evocative book from the author of At Night All Blood is Black. The story is wrapped in a few layers, and takes a while to come into focus, but when it does it has a feverish sensuality, and a horrible sense of inevitability. It impressively feels like it finds a unique perspective on colonialism in 18th century Africa, and cleverly sites it in a story that is otherwise romantic and epic - power corrupts all relationships, it kills hope and promise, and rots even those who benefit from it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Sexism
jasoncfish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0