A review by pomoevareads
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

What a stunning piece of art!

Divided into two parts, Minor Details begins with an Israeli soldier, who along with his platoon, are charged with guarding the Negev desert along its Egyptian border. The time is August 1949 a year after Nakba when Palestinians were displaced by the creation of Israel. The soldier has suffered a spider bite which festers and the reader is given intimate access with the progression of the effects from the bite. During one of the reconnaissance missions, a group of bedouins, along with their camels and a dog are spotted. All but the dog and a young girl who was travelling with them are killed. The girl is brought back to camp where she is raped, then killed and buried. In the second part of the book, the narration moves from third to first person and we are travelling with a Palestinian woman who seeks to learn more about the young girl of many years ago. She risks her life in borrowing documents and travelling out of her zone. The only connecting details between the two are the date of the murder which is the exact date 25 years earlier of the woman’s birth. 

The writing is phenomenal and fluid and the motifs bring the two sections together beautifully. The article in the newspaper that the woman reads about the girl is considered a minor detail in the sense of its newsworthiness at the time. The reader is gracefully reminded to consider all the minor details in order for the full image to develop. The title of this book could not be more perfect. 
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