At Night All Blood Is Black: SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2021
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- Create Date：2021-06-03 08:51:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：David Diop
- ISBN：1782277536
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Summary
Alfa Ndiaye is a Senegalese man who， never before having left his village， finds himself fighting as a so-called “Chocolat” soldier with the French army during World War I。 When his friend Mademba Diop， in the same regiment， is seriously injured in battle， Diop begs Alfa to kill him and spare him the pain of a long and agonizing death in No Man’s Land。
Unable to commit this mercy killing， madness creeps into Alfa’s mind as he comes to see this refusal as a cruel moment of cowardice。 Anxious to avenge the death of his friend and find forgiveness for himself， he begins a macabre ritual: every night he sneaks across enemy lines to find and murder a blue-eyed German soldier， and every night he returns to base， unharmed， with the German’s severed hand。 At first his comrades look at Alfa’s deeds with admiration， but soon rumors begin to circulate that this super soldier isn’t a hero， but a sorcerer， a soul-eater。 Plans are hatched to get Alfa away from the front， and to separate him from his growing collection of hands， but how does one reason with a demon， and how far will Alfa go to make amends to his dead friend？
Peppered with bullets and black magic， this remarkable novel fills in a forgotten chapter in the history of World War I。 Blending oral storytelling traditions with the gritty， day-to-day， journalistic horror of life in the trenches， David Diop's At Night All Blood is Black is a dazzling tale of a man’s descent into madness。
Selected by students across France to win the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens， David Diop’s English-language， historical fiction debut At Night All Blood is Black is a “powerful， hypnotic， and dark novel” （Livres Hebdo） of terror and transformation in the trenches of the First World War。
Unable to commit this mercy killing， madness creeps into Alfa’s mind as he comes to see this refusal as a cruel moment of cowardice。 Anxious to avenge the death of his friend and find forgiveness for himself， he begins a macabre ritual: every night he sneaks across enemy lines to find and murder a blue-eyed German soldier， and every night he returns to base， unharmed， with the German’s severed hand。 At first his comrades look at Alfa’s deeds with admiration， but soon rumors begin to circulate that this super soldier isn’t a hero， but a sorcerer， a soul-eater。 Plans are hatched to get Alfa away from the front， and to separate him from his growing collection of hands， but how does one reason with a demon， and how far will Alfa go to make amends to his dead friend？
Peppered with bullets and black magic， this remarkable novel fills in a forgotten chapter in the history of World War I。 Blending oral storytelling traditions with the gritty， day-to-day， journalistic horror of life in the trenches， David Diop's At Night All Blood is Black is a dazzling tale of a man’s descent into madness。
Selected by students across France to win the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens， David Diop’s English-language， historical fiction debut At Night All Blood is Black is a “powerful， hypnotic， and dark novel” （Livres Hebdo） of terror and transformation in the trenches of the First World War。
Reviews
Suzanne Smith
，
David Diop’s At Night All Blood is Black is a fearsome novella translated from the French by Anna Moschovakis and is currently shortlisted for the International Booker。 It’s short in nature but mighty in impact， and I was left totally unsettled after reading it in a way that only good literary fiction can do。The story begins with the protagonist and narrator， Alfa Ndiaye， a Senegalese soldier fighting for France in the Great War who has just witnessed his “more-than-brother’ best friend and comr David Diop’s At Night All Blood is Black is a fearsome novella translated from the French by Anna Moschovakis and is currently shortlisted for the International Booker。 It’s short in nature but mighty in impact， and I was left totally unsettled after reading it in a way that only good literary fiction can do。The story begins with the protagonist and narrator， Alfa Ndiaye， a Senegalese soldier fighting for France in the Great War who has just witnessed his “more-than-brother’ best friend and comrade， Mademba， become the most recent victim of the battlefield。 As though watching a gruesome horror film in slow motion， Alfa’s account of the aftermath of Mademba’s death begins his steady descent into madness and surrender to the total violence of war。 Through Alfa’s perspective， we see how soldiers from the colonies， termed the ‘Chocolat soliders’， were encouraged by white commanders to enact racist stereotypes of the ‘savage’ as a way ‘to scare off the enemy。’ From the offset， Alfa’s war experience is told through a repetitive， paranoid prose which unravels in every sentence and paints a horrifying portrait not only of WW1 warfare， but the violence of European colonial exploitation。 。。。more
Keenan
，
Extremely visceral and raw story of a Senegalese soldier fighting for France in WWI who watches his close friend die in the trenches。 The book explores the resulting psychological anguish that leads him into a violent madness against the enemy， acts initially applauded by his superiors until he goes too far。 There's a quick but smooth pivot in the second half of the book about his life and love back home， and despite everything awful that's occurred we end on a hopeful if strange note。 Creative Extremely visceral and raw story of a Senegalese soldier fighting for France in WWI who watches his close friend die in the trenches。 The book explores the resulting psychological anguish that leads him into a violent madness against the enemy， acts initially applauded by his superiors until he goes too far。 There's a quick but smooth pivot in the second half of the book about his life and love back home， and despite everything awful that's occurred we end on a hopeful if strange note。 Creative way to explore the soldier's psyche， the brutish effects of colonialism， and the special bond of friendship all in one short text。 。。。more
Priyanka Aggarwal
，
The mysticism in the story is something you don't see coming。 Loved it。 The mysticism in the story is something you don't see coming。 Loved it。 。。。more
Tanisha Sharma
，
This slim delicate book has captured my imagination！ From the very first page， you encounter the violence and gory images of WWI but from the perspective of Alfa Ndiaye， a young Senegalese man recruited into the French army as a rifleman。 For me， this book poses the questions of pointless suffering and how we perceive others and humanity。 This story is going to be with me forever。
Sharon Horan
，
Self indulgent
Webgirl
，
3。5In First World War， a Senegal 'Chocolat' soldier， Alfa Ndiaye， is fighting in the French army。 His story is dark and brutal。In the first part， twenty-year-old Alfa is shaken by his best friend's Mademba Diop brutal death。 When Mademba， his more-than-brother as he calls him， pleaded to him to kill him， he couldn't do this act of mercy to spare him the suffering。 After Mademba's death， Alfa starts seeking revenge and atonement for himself。 In the second part， he remembers his last days in his v 3。5In First World War， a Senegal 'Chocolat' soldier， Alfa Ndiaye， is fighting in the French army。 His story is dark and brutal。In the first part， twenty-year-old Alfa is shaken by his best friend's Mademba Diop brutal death。 When Mademba， his more-than-brother as he calls him， pleaded to him to kill him， he couldn't do this act of mercy to spare him the suffering。 After Mademba's death， Alfa starts seeking revenge and atonement for himself。 In the second part， he remembers his last days in his village， before he went to the battlefield。I liked the writing。 Especially in the first part， it was rough， brutal， and dark as the story。Shortlisted for International Booker Prize， 2021 。。。more
Sherri Brown
，
This short novel is gripping and revelatory。 The voice of the first-person narrator is intense， direct and lyrical。 Truly， the reader readily enters his mind and his world， clearly seeing the reality of trench warfare and feeling the emotional trauma of the young soldier from a small village in Senegal。 As the novel progresses， the stories of Alfa's life growing up in a traditional West African culture add dimension to the character and insight into his world view。 The writing style is crisp and This short novel is gripping and revelatory。 The voice of the first-person narrator is intense， direct and lyrical。 Truly， the reader readily enters his mind and his world， clearly seeing the reality of trench warfare and feeling the emotional trauma of the young soldier from a small village in Senegal。 As the novel progresses， the stories of Alfa's life growing up in a traditional West African culture add dimension to the character and insight into his world view。 The writing style is crisp and distinctive， evocative of West African dialects and storytelling traditions。 。。。more
Erin
，
Heel bijzonder boek， mooi en vervreemdend geschreven， met grote thema’s in de achtergrond van wat maar een kort verhaal is。
Anna
，
Gorgeous story。 I cannot stress this enough。 We experience a snapshot of WWI through the eyes of a Senegalese soldier。 The huge turn off for me was the writing often had an academic feel。 Otherwise， this book for sure added value to my life。
Luís Queijo
，
Não sei se sou eu que sou muito exigente acerca dos livros que me encantam ou se， definitivamente， os meus gostos e os dos jurados do Booker são díspares。。。Tão aclamado com epítetos tais como “prosa hipnótica e poderosa”， “novela assombrada”， “ novela impactante”， entre outros， nele apenas encontrei um aborrecimento imenso。 Chega a ser cansativo o relato continuo acerca do sentimento de culpa do narrador， ainda mais quando， em termos sentimentais， não é nada bem explorado nem descrito。 Da mesma Não sei se sou eu que sou muito exigente acerca dos livros que me encantam ou se， definitivamente， os meus gostos e os dos jurados do Booker são díspares。。。Tão aclamado com epítetos tais como “prosa hipnótica e poderosa”， “novela assombrada”， “ novela impactante”， entre outros， nele apenas encontrei um aborrecimento imenso。 Chega a ser cansativo o relato continuo acerca do sentimento de culpa do narrador， ainda mais quando， em termos sentimentais， não é nada bem explorado nem descrito。 Da mesma forma， não é explorada a condição sentimental dos soldados da grande guerra， no seio das trincheiras。 Falha， também a exploração da “loucura” que grassava entre os soldados de ambos lados。No final， aquilo que nos fica é uma amálgama de relatos e considerações acerca da vida do narrador， antes， durante e， presumivelmente， após o período de guerra。Não “encaixei” com a narrativa nem com a escrita。Se não houver mais nada para ler。。。。 。。。more
Kitty Galore
，
As the title suggests， this novel is dark。 The day I read it my neighbor's cat had eviscerated a rabbit。 Nature can be cruel， but so can humanity。 As the title suggests， this novel is dark。 The day I read it my neighbor's cat had eviscerated a rabbit。 Nature can be cruel， but so can humanity。 。。。more
Topher
，
This is the story of two soldiers in the war。 I feel like it is more about the effects on war on people。 I thought this novel would be gruesome but it more asks the question what is really savage in the game of war。 It was sad and touching。 I would give this one a 3。8/5。
RG
，
Violent， poetic and amazing writing。 Great thematic presence but was missing a plot which engaged me。 Very short。 Best to read in a sitting
Ghanshyam Singh
，
Couldn’t catch up with where it went in the second half。
Harriet Elder
，
At times this book felt light & deadpan， at others deeply unsettling and violent - a metaphysical story of trauma that twists between devotion & madness。
John Banks
，
Diop's At Night All Blood is Black （translated from the French by Anna Moschovakis） and shortlisted for the Booker 2021 International Fiction Prize is a brilliantly dark， heartbreaking and disturbing novel。 Set during WWI， it tells the story of Alfa， a Senegalese soldier fighting for France （the “Chocolat” soldiers ）， as he descends into the madness and maelstrom of the 'no-man's land' of trench warfare。 The events unfold after Alfa's close fellow Senegalese childhood friend （closer than a broth Diop's At Night All Blood is Black （translated from the French by Anna Moschovakis） and shortlisted for the Booker 2021 International Fiction Prize is a brilliantly dark， heartbreaking and disturbing novel。 Set during WWI， it tells the story of Alfa， a Senegalese soldier fighting for France （the “Chocolat” soldiers ）， as he descends into the madness and maelstrom of the 'no-man's land' of trench warfare。 The events unfold after Alfa's close fellow Senegalese childhood friend （closer than a brother）， Mademba， dies horribly after being disemboweled during combat。This compact narrative conveys in brutally direct detail Alfa's savage search for both vengeance and a kind of personal redemption as he ritualistically visits this death upon enemy soldiers。 The language throughout is hypnotically poetic， deploying powerful and resonant imagery。 Just such a strong and distinct style here。All of this is also of course a searing indictment of French colonialism and exploitation。The novel also shifts registers into a rhythmically and tonally almost mythic difference when Diop represents Alfa's memories of his Senegalese childhood and young adult life with beautiful accounts of village life， his family and friends。 The rendering of Alfa's voice is so distinctively clear and for me the particular strength of this work。"I am the shadow that devours rocks， mountains， forests， and rivers， the flesh of beasts and of men。 I slice skin， I empty skulls and bodies。 I cut off arms， legs and hands。 I smash bones and I suck out their marrow。 But I am also the red moon that rises over the river， I am the evening air that rustles the tender acacia trees。 I am the wasp and the flower。 I am as much the wriggling fish as the still canoe， as much the net as the fisherman。 I am the prisoner and his guard。 I am the tree and the seed that grew into it。 I am father and son。 I am assassin and judge。 I am the sowing and the harvest。 I am mother and daughter。 I am night and day。 I am fire and the wood it devours。 I am innocent and guilty。 I am the beginning and the end。 I am the creator and the destroyer。 I am double。"There are stories within stories with this one; the deft artful layering of these stories is well done:"To be seen， the story hidden beneath the well-known story has to peek out a little bit。 If the hidden story hides too well beneath the well-known story， it stays invisible。 The hidden story has to be there without being there， it has to let itself be guessed at， the way a tight saffron-yellow dress lets the beautiful figure of a young girl be guessed at。 It has to be transparent。 When it's understood by those for whom it is intended， the story hidden beneath the well-known story can change the course of their lives， can push them to transform a diffuse desire into a concrete act。 It can heal them from the sickness of hesitation， no matter the expectations of an ill-intentioned storyteller。" 。。。more
George
，
A memorable， powerful， unpleasant， tragic， first person short novel about a young Senegalese soldier， Alfa Ndiaye， fighting in the French army against German soldiers in World War I。 With his friend， Madembo Diop， ‘my more-than-brother’， they leave their homes in a Senegal village， aged 20， to fight in the French army。The novel begins with Alfa refusing Madembo’s request for Alfa to kill him。 Madembo is in pain with no chance of living。 Alfa bravely carries Madembo back to the French trenches。 T A memorable， powerful， unpleasant， tragic， first person short novel about a young Senegalese soldier， Alfa Ndiaye， fighting in the French army against German soldiers in World War I。 With his friend， Madembo Diop， ‘my more-than-brother’， they leave their homes in a Senegal village， aged 20， to fight in the French army。The novel begins with Alfa refusing Madembo’s request for Alfa to kill him。 Madembo is in pain with no chance of living。 Alfa bravely carries Madembo back to the French trenches。 The book is about how Alfa copes with the loss of his best friend， with interesting backstory about Madembo’s life before joining the army。This book was first published in 2018 and translated into English in 2020。 It is shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize for fiction。 。。。more
Djaya
，
Impressive。
Helen Precious
，
A slim volume that packs some serious punch。 At Night All Blood is Black examines the horrors of war from the perspective of an African soldier fighting during WW1。 The imagery that Diop conjures up is at once beautiful and horrific examining the impact that witnessing a friend killed has on the narrator Alfa。 The trauma experienced by Alfa numbs him into becoming a vehicle of revenge mimicking the inhumane slaughter of his friend in the killing of his enemy。 The complete disregard for life， inc A slim volume that packs some serious punch。 At Night All Blood is Black examines the horrors of war from the perspective of an African soldier fighting during WW1。 The imagery that Diop conjures up is at once beautiful and horrific examining the impact that witnessing a friend killed has on the narrator Alfa。 The trauma experienced by Alfa numbs him into becoming a vehicle of revenge mimicking the inhumane slaughter of his friend in the killing of his enemy。 The complete disregard for life， including his own， pushes Alfa into a moral vacuum which he is forced to address as the book progresses and which he may never come back from。 。。。more
Jao Wonders
，
"I am free to imagine what the enemy from the other side thinks because I know， I understand。 Looking into the enemy’s blue eyes， I often see a panicked fear of death， of savagery， of rape， of cannibalism。 I see in his eyes what he’s been told about me， and what he’s believed without ever seeing me。 I think that in seeing me look at him， smiling， he’s telling himself that they didn’t lie to him， that with my teeth， white at night with or without a moon， I will devour him alive， or something even "I am free to imagine what the enemy from the other side thinks because I know， I understand。 Looking into the enemy’s blue eyes， I often see a panicked fear of death， of savagery， of rape， of cannibalism。 I see in his eyes what he’s been told about me， and what he’s believed without ever seeing me。 I think that in seeing me look at him， smiling， he’s telling himself that they didn’t lie to him， that with my teeth， white at night with or without a moon， I will devour him alive， or something even worse。"4。25✨ 。。。more
Bryn Lerud
，
I'm glad I took the time to read at least one book from the 2021 International Booker Prize shortlist。 It was a very short novel about a Senegalese man fighting with the French in WWI in Africa。 The main character， Alfa， has lost his best friend and feels he is responsible for his suffering。 He becomes a a bit mad and starts mutilating the bodies of the enemies and collecting hands。 The book reminded me a little of Johnny Got His Gun in its descriptions of the universal horror of war。 I also enj I'm glad I took the time to read at least one book from the 2021 International Booker Prize shortlist。 It was a very short novel about a Senegalese man fighting with the French in WWI in Africa。 The main character， Alfa， has lost his best friend and feels he is responsible for his suffering。 He becomes a a bit mad and starts mutilating the bodies of the enemies and collecting hands。 The book reminded me a little of Johnny Got His Gun in its descriptions of the universal horror of war。 I also enjoyed the stories from Alfa's past - those of his mother and the girlfriend he could have had if not for the war。 。。。more
Adina
，
3。5* Now Winner of the International Booker Prize 2021As the name suggests， this novel is not about rainbows and unicorns， it is bloody and brutal。 My return to literary fiction couldn’t have been steeper but I do not regret my choice。 After reading almost the whole Republic of Consciousness longlist， I got tired of bleakness and difficult prose so I decided to take a break。 As such， my plan to read the whole Booker International shortlist was abandoned。 However， I decided to try the titles that 3。5* Now Winner of the International Booker Prize 2021As the name suggests， this novel is not about rainbows and unicorns， it is bloody and brutal。 My return to literary fiction couldn’t have been steeper but I do not regret my choice。 After reading almost the whole Republic of Consciousness longlist， I got tired of bleakness and difficult prose so I decided to take a break。 As such， my plan to read the whole Booker International shortlist was abandoned。 However， I decided to try the titles that attract me the most。 At Night All Blood Is Black captured my attention because it deals with a part of history I know nothing about。 Also， it is very short and I got it from Netgalley from one of my favourite publishers so I felt responsible to review it。 The novel is set in the trenches of WW1 and had as main character， Alfa Ndiaye， a Senegalese black man， part of a „Chocolate” army fighting for the French。 Unable to mercy kill his badly wounded friend he descend into madness and starts to murder his enemies in gruesome ways。 After the deed he takes one of their severed hands as trophy。 The French use the racist stereotypes of the African soldiers as being savage and sorcerers to scare the German enemies so at first， Alfa’s revenge killings are praised as part of the act。 After the hands start to pile， the rest of the French army begin to feel frightened。 It shows how war can dehumanize people and how they were butchered in the trenches with almost no chance to survive。 The prose is terrifying， violent， graphic， repetitive which makes it even more atmospheric but also poetic。 I preferred the 2nd part more， where we learn some background information about the two characters before the war。 It is an intense novel and it should be read in on go， not like I did， 10 pages now and then。 One of the most unsettling parts of this novel was the repetitive use of sexual metaphors to describe the trenches。 I am not sure what the goal was but the effect was quite disgusting。 I might not have understood the ending either。Some interesting thoughts about translations: “To translate is never simple。 To translate is to betray at the borders， it’s to cheat， it’s to trade one sentence for another。 To translate is one of the only human activities in which one is required to lie about the details to convey the truth at large。 To translate is to risk understanding better than others that the truth about a word is not single， but double， even triple， quadruple， or quintuple。 To translate is to distance oneself from God’s truth， which， as everyone knows or believes， is single。” 。。。more
Roy Kenagy
，
DMPL 2021 International Booker Prize Shortlist https://bitly。com/3oUg3AJ DMPL 2021 International Booker Prize Shortlist https://bitly。com/3oUg3AJ 。。。more
Anne Abelsæth
，
Best book of the decade。
Khai Jian （KJ）
，
“Temporary madness， in war， is bravery’s sister。”Now shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize， At Night All Blood is Black is definitely a work of art that examines the aftermath of war and colonialism towards the marginalized。 The story was narrated by the 20-year-old Senegalese， Alfa Ndiaye， whereby he was enlisted in the French army together with his "more-than-brother"， Mademba Diop， and fought against the Germans during World War 1。 The story opened with Mademba being mortally wo “Temporary madness， in war， is bravery’s sister。”Now shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize， At Night All Blood is Black is definitely a work of art that examines the aftermath of war and colonialism towards the marginalized。 The story was narrated by the 20-year-old Senegalese， Alfa Ndiaye， whereby he was enlisted in the French army together with his "more-than-brother"， Mademba Diop， and fought against the Germans during World War 1。 The story opened with Mademba being mortally wounded during a battle and we follow Alfa's stream of consciousness following such a gruesome event。 With the French and Senegalese historical backdrop， Diop's atmospherical description of the impact of war on a minority was brilliantly laid out from different aspects through Alfa's characterization: the discriminatory treatment towards Alfa by his fellow comrades and superiors （where he was referred to as "the savage" or a "Chocolat" by the white French soldiers）， the dehumanizing treatment that soldiers were subjected to during wartime， Alfa's internal struggles when dealing with the death of his blood brother especially when Mademba pleaded for Alfa to end his suffering （which goes against his ancestral laws）， Alfa's wounded mental state after every battle against the enemy。 Readers were brutally exposed to Alfa's rage， anguish， wrath， torment， guilt， and suffering which eventually lead him to madness and a breakdown of his self-identity。 We also get a glimpse of Alfa's past and background as well as his relationship with Mademba throughout the story。 Senegalese folklores， culture， and beliefs were also incorporated herein。 Certain metaphors were used by Diop which I thought was quite clever: the seven hands belonging to the Germans that were eventually cut-off by Alfa which represents his fury and madness， sexual references that connotes the state of the trench warfares， the inherently opposing adjectives were used to denote Alfa's conflicted state of mind。 At the end of the day， Alfa remarked when he was asked of his name: "。。。I am innocent and guilty。 I am the beginning and the end。 I am the creator and the destroyer。 I am double"。 Diop's portrayal of Alfa's madness and trauma caused by war is so impactful and memorable。 Easily a 5/5 star read。 This will go down as one of the best books that I've read in 2021。 。。。more
Priyadarshini
，
“Yes， I understood， God’s truth that in the battlefield they wanted only fleeting madness。 Madmen of rage， madmen of pain， furious madmen but temporary ones。 No continuous madmen。 As soon as the fighting ends， we’re to file away our rage， our pain， and our fury。 Pain is tolerated， we can bring our pain home on the condition that we keep it to ourselves。 But rage and fury cannot be brought back to the trench。 Before returning home， we must denude ourselves of rage and fury， we must strip ourselve “Yes， I understood， God’s truth that in the battlefield they wanted only fleeting madness。 Madmen of rage， madmen of pain， furious madmen but temporary ones。 No continuous madmen。 As soon as the fighting ends， we’re to file away our rage， our pain， and our fury。 Pain is tolerated， we can bring our pain home on the condition that we keep it to ourselves。 But rage and fury cannot be brought back to the trench。 Before returning home， we must denude ourselves of rage and fury， we must strip ourselves of it， and if we don’t， we are no longer playing the game of war。 Madness， after the captain blows the whistle to retreat， is taboo。”War stories are so difficult to read but also so important， as history continues to repeat itself in some part of the world or the other。The Senegalese Tirailleurs were a corps of colonial infantry in the French Army， initially recruited from Senegal and subsequently from other parts of Africa under the French colonial empire。 At Night All Blood is Black is Diop’s dark and poetic rendition of a war song and tells the story of one young Senegalese soldier who completely unravels after his best friend， almost brother， is killed in the war。 Written in the form of a prose poem full of dark humour and horror， it shows the unravelling of a soldier’s mind at a micro level and the futility and cruelty of war at a macro level。 “That’s war: it’s when God lags behind the music of men， when he can’t untangle the threads of so many fates at the same time。”This particular war song will not leave me for a while。 。。。more
Claire
，
A visceral， gritty， war story which is incredibly hard to review。 At Night All Blood is Black is on its surface， a story about violence， and the ways that war moves people to violence， at times beyond of the scope of survival instinct and self-preservation。 If you scratch a little deeper， it also tells a story about colonialism and the many ways where colonised lives are exploited。 Deeper still， this is a novel about human connection， the people who are enduring significant presences in our live A visceral， gritty， war story which is incredibly hard to review。 At Night All Blood is Black is on its surface， a story about violence， and the ways that war moves people to violence， at times beyond of the scope of survival instinct and self-preservation。 If you scratch a little deeper， it also tells a story about colonialism and the many ways where colonised lives are exploited。 Deeper still， this is a novel about human connection， the people who are enduring significant presences in our lives。 This is a story of collected moments which shape a life， and lead an individual to actions which can be hard to comprehend。 Stylistically I found this translation both interesting and challenging。 At times， the use of repetition is so relentless it’s almost impossible to go on， but by the end I was convinced that everything was purposeful。 This suitably vague ending leaves so much open to interpretation， something I was grateful for， but may grate other readers。 。。。more
Samoyes
，
This is a dark story of madness。 It centres on Alfa’s struggles with grief， trauma， and personhood amidst WWI。 This book is one of real darkness and will literally have you gasping。 However， the pacing of this book felt off for me。 The first half was riveting， yet the second half where we encounter Alfa’s life before the war was less successful。 While it is useful to understand his life from before， it was not as well structured。 And there is a scene of sexual violence near the end that needs to This is a dark story of madness。 It centres on Alfa’s struggles with grief， trauma， and personhood amidst WWI。 This book is one of real darkness and will literally have you gasping。 However， the pacing of this book felt off for me。 The first half was riveting， yet the second half where we encounter Alfa’s life before the war was less successful。 While it is useful to understand his life from before， it was not as well structured。 And there is a scene of sexual violence near the end that needs to be acknowledged。 This event is revealing of his descent into madness， and goes towards capturing issues of domination and ideas of masculinity， yet it is important to note for readers as a trigger warning。 But overall， this is a book that you will get through quickly and definitely mess with your head while doing so。 。。。more
Karen
，