A review by laurarosessupposes
At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

As per usual, I find this Booker prize winner to be overrated. This said, it certainly achieves what it aims to do and I can admire many aspects of the book such as the use of an unreliable narrator (I love a good unreliable narrator - think Great Gatsby and Enduring Love), purposeful repetition, and deliberate metaphor (although this was sometimes a bit heavy handed). I didn't find it either enjoyable or as shocking as most seemed to though and have seen the devolvement into madness done much better previously (think The Shining).
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