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ambershelf 's review for:
Minor Detail
by Adania Shibli
Thank you to Libro.fm for the gifted audiobook
Beginning in the summer of 1949, a year after Nakba, a Palestinian woman was captured, sexually assaulted, and murdered. Decades later, a woman in Ramallah becomes infatuated with the minor details of this violent crime and travels through different parts of Israel to search for the forgotten history.
MINOR DETAIL was nominated for a National Book Award for translated literature in 2020, longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2021, and won the LiBeraturpreis in 2023. With that in mind, it'll help the readers ease into the writing style knowing it's very literary.
MINOR DETAIL comprises two parts, the first from the Israeli soldier's POV. There's A LOT of detail, almost to the extent of excruciating, and I find myself distracted constantly. But Shibli's brilliance becomes apparent in part two—told through the unnamed woman's perspective—where the minutiae of everyday life include going through checkpoints, witnessing bombardment, getting disoriented by the changing landscape, etc.
While the timelines between the two POVs differ, there are also plenty of parallels between the two—from the dog barks, gun fires to senseless violence. The ending is compelling, and I had to sit for a while to absorb its impact fully.
MINOR DETAIL is a harrowing and claustrophobic yet essential read to understand the past and present experiences of Palestinians. While decades separate parts 1 & 2, what changed and what remained?
Beginning in the summer of 1949, a year after Nakba, a Palestinian woman was captured, sexually assaulted, and murdered. Decades later, a woman in Ramallah becomes infatuated with the minor details of this violent crime and travels through different parts of Israel to search for the forgotten history.
MINOR DETAIL was nominated for a National Book Award for translated literature in 2020, longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2021, and won the LiBeraturpreis in 2023. With that in mind, it'll help the readers ease into the writing style knowing it's very literary.
MINOR DETAIL comprises two parts, the first from the Israeli soldier's POV. There's A LOT of detail, almost to the extent of excruciating, and I find myself distracted constantly. But Shibli's brilliance becomes apparent in part two—told through the unnamed woman's perspective—where the minutiae of everyday life include going through checkpoints, witnessing bombardment, getting disoriented by the changing landscape, etc.
While the timelines between the two POVs differ, there are also plenty of parallels between the two—from the dog barks, gun fires to senseless violence. The ending is compelling, and I had to sit for a while to absorb its impact fully.
MINOR DETAIL is a harrowing and claustrophobic yet essential read to understand the past and present experiences of Palestinians. While decades separate parts 1 & 2, what changed and what remained?