A review by bookphenomena_micky
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

challenging reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

 "Sometimes it's inevitable for the past to be forgotten, especially if the present is no less horrific."

Minor Detail is a book of two interconnected phases where certain devices connect the two stories. A dog, spiders and petrol connect the story of the Palestinian girl and the Palestinian man who chases her story from history.

While the writing is easy, the themes in this book are anything but, nor should they be. The girl captured by the Israeli soldiers, her ensuing horrific experience and the dehumanising way she was treated, seared at my psyche. The man in contemporary times pursuing her story taught me something of a snapshot of what is like to live in constant fear and anxiety all your life as a Palestinian. His noble quest despite his paralysing anxiety was compelling and that end still took me by surprise. On reflection, I wonder why I didn't see it coming.

I hope that the spider-soldier-r@pist succumbed to the venom in his body.

I will be processing the feelings this short book has evoked for a while. I recommend it to all. 
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