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A review by happiestwhenreading
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
4.0
If there's one thing I do when I become interested in a subject, event, or idea, it's that I totally and completely immerse myself in it. So when the Hamas/Isreal War broke out a few weeks ago, I became very curious about the history between these two cultures. At this point, I'm positive I can never read enough to understand the nuance to the situation, but that certainly won't stop me from trying.
Days after the conflict started, I saw that Libro.fm was offering free downloads of the Minor Detail audiobook. I got myself a copy and immediately started it.
This book is not long - it's just under 4 hours. It begins in 1949, one year after Nakba - the forced displacement and exile of 700,000 Palestinians (the Isrealis refer to this as the War of Independence). In the desert, the Isrealis murder a whole bunch of refugees in an encampment, saving one teenaged Palestianian girl which they kidnap, rape, and kill.
Years later, a woman comes across this incident and proceeds to find out what happened to her. In her quest to expose the details, she becomes obsessed with the "minor details" surrounding this girl's disappearance.
The story that follows portrays the haunting happenings of war. Two sides are pitted against each other and through the grusome reality of war, each side loses their humanity. Each side fails to see the other as a person - someone's child, mother, wife, husband, friend. People turn barbaric and do things they must know are wrong - all in the name of what they're fighting for.
It's actually quite discouraging to think about. That we can become so consumed with hate that we fail to hold onto our morality and sense of right and wrong. While this story is from the side of the Palestinians, there are also points of view from the Israilis as well. And the thing is - both sides think they're standing on the right side. It's heartbreaking and defeating and leaves me feeling mostly hopeless.
Days after the conflict started, I saw that Libro.fm was offering free downloads of the Minor Detail audiobook. I got myself a copy and immediately started it.
This book is not long - it's just under 4 hours. It begins in 1949, one year after Nakba - the forced displacement and exile of 700,000 Palestinians (the Isrealis refer to this as the War of Independence). In the desert, the Isrealis murder a whole bunch of refugees in an encampment, saving one teenaged Palestianian girl which they kidnap, rape, and kill.
Years later, a woman comes across this incident and proceeds to find out what happened to her. In her quest to expose the details, she becomes obsessed with the "minor details" surrounding this girl's disappearance.
The story that follows portrays the haunting happenings of war. Two sides are pitted against each other and through the grusome reality of war, each side loses their humanity. Each side fails to see the other as a person - someone's child, mother, wife, husband, friend. People turn barbaric and do things they must know are wrong - all in the name of what they're fighting for.
It's actually quite discouraging to think about. That we can become so consumed with hate that we fail to hold onto our morality and sense of right and wrong. While this story is from the side of the Palestinians, there are also points of view from the Israilis as well. And the thing is - both sides think they're standing on the right side. It's heartbreaking and defeating and leaves me feeling mostly hopeless.