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A review by saint_eleanor
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
challenging
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
This book is so unique, I loved it though it made me cry quite a bit.
Its a novel telling the true story of the kidnapping and killing of a Bedouin-Palestinian girl by Israeli soldiers in Negev 1949. The protagonist discovers this event coincides with her birthday, and wonders about how much this 'minor detail' could have contributed to the 'war' (occupation).
The author was supposed to receive the LiberaturPreis from Germany in 2023 but was denied at the last minute because the judges felt it was "antisemitic" (there is not a single antisemitic word in this book, plus everything in it actually happened).
The protagonist goes on a dangerous excursion near Rafah and Negev just to learn more about it, and sees ghosts in the desert, strange dogs, and camels before she starts to find parallels between her and the girl. Please read!! Its short. 🇵🇸
Its a novel telling the true story of the kidnapping and killing of a Bedouin-Palestinian girl by Israeli soldiers in Negev 1949. The protagonist discovers this event coincides with her birthday, and wonders about how much this 'minor detail' could have contributed to the 'war' (occupation).
The author was supposed to receive the LiberaturPreis from Germany in 2023 but was denied at the last minute because the judges felt it was "antisemitic" (there is not a single antisemitic word in this book, plus everything in it actually happened).
The protagonist goes on a dangerous excursion near Rafah and Negev just to learn more about it, and sees ghosts in the desert, strange dogs, and camels before she starts to find parallels between her and the girl. Please read!! Its short. 🇵🇸
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Murder
Moderate: Rape