Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (translated by Elisabeth Jaquette)

Minor Detail is a book of two parts. The first part is set in the summer of 1949 and follows an Israeli officer who is involved in the capture and rape of a young Palestinian woman. The second part is set many years later following a woman who becomes obsessed with this 'minor detail' of history and makes a journey to find out the truth. Only she is faced with the continual erasure of her people, her disempowerment and road blocks to uncovering a broken history.

In line with the book's title both narratives focus on the everyday detail, so whilst the premise is rather harrowing this doesn't feature in great detail. The narrative focuses on the officer washing himself, a dog barking, the dust from the bombings, the act of chewing gum. There is a lot of repetitive motions and and descriptions within the narrative that reinforce the small details of everyday existence and elements of history that are brushed over.

The focus on the small details enables us as readers to see how a people are so easily erased, confined and constricted as they live a life of occupation. I did not find the first part particularly compelling, but it's readable and fairly short. The second part was much more haunting and absorbing and surprising for how it drew an overall narrative and political message.

Minor Detail is a short book, but rather haunting for the messages it plays out. It's incredibly clever and quite distinctive in its style and focus.