Reviews

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

aasnur's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

jrudy2's review

It was too graphic

bready95's review

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

smuds2's review

4.0

is there a fair way to talk about this book in Sept 2024? I don't know. The contrarian butthead in me wants to complain about it -- maybe say that the story itself isn't very interesting, or well executed, or well paced. But tbh that doesn't feel right - or feel like it's evaluating the book on what the book is supposed to be evaluated on.. so I'll just leave all that out

at the risk of totalizing a population:

the parallels between the two stories, really, I think, is the only thing that needs to be discussed, at least from my pov. how what palestinians are experiencing today is both the same as what they experienced in 1940's and have experienced since, but also made worse by it -- like a snowball tumbling. the traumas from before going on to inform their traumas now.

how minor details are really what drives history, both external and internal - and have for all time. Afterall, what distinguishes the girl from the soldiers? All in all - minor details. Why is the MC in pt II interested in the story? Minor details. What drives the anxieties of life for palestinians? minor details (magnified). What killed the MC? Minor details. Minor details magnified to major decisions when arbitrary rules are placed on you .

how in pt I we have this descent into loss of self from the commander -- continued, and attempted, though failed to, reverse in pt II with the attempt at discovery of sense of self of the MC.

so i could say "yeah I didn't really feel anything relatable emotionally, didn't care for the characters as people, didn't really find the plot of the stories that interesting" -- what would I even be saying, if I did?

cfrankie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wut. Schmerz. Hass.

Auf 117 Seiten baut Adania Shibli eine Brücke zwischen dem von Israel besetzten Palästina von 1949 und 2017.

Das Buch startet, in der dritten Person geschrieben, aus der Sicht eines israelischen Kommandanten. Wir erfahren nichts über seine Gefühlwelt, kaum etwas über ihn. Ich kann nicht aufhören zu hoffen, dass er

an seinem Spinnen(?)biss, elendig verreckt ist.

Danach reisen wir mit einer jungen palästinensischen Frau aus Ramallah mit, auf den Spuren eines von den israelischen Soldaten ermordete Beduinenmädchens. Sie unterdrückt ihre Angst, vom Trauma gezeichnet, kein Detail ist eine Nebensache.

Es ist klar, dass das Buch kein Happy End haben kann. Und dass die junge Frau nicht überlebt.

Unfassbar eindrücklich und aufwühlend.

FREE PALESTINE!

nes_reading_nook's review

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

jessicafulton's review

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

taimeow's review

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.75

dillywig's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Very matter-of-fact translation of a story that I would not have seen if I had not been reading the Around The World challenge. I will probably buy and keep a copy of this book. 

_kmao_'s review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5