Fiction

At Night All Blood Is Black: A Novel

At Night All Blood Is Black: A Novel

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  • Create Date：2021-07-13 07:51:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：David Diop
  • ISBN：125080020X
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Summary

"Astonishingly good。" —Lily Meyer， NPR
"So incantatory and visceral I don’t think I’ll ever forget it。" —Ali Smith， The Guardian | Best Books of 2020

One of the Wall Street Journal's 11 best books of the fall | One of The A。V。 Club's fifteen best books of 2020 |A Sunday Times best book of the year

Named a most anticipated book by Literary Hub | Electric Literature| The Millions | Refinery29

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。

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。

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Reviews

Venky ，

Bleak， brooding and breathtaking， David Diop’s 2021 International Booker Prize Winning work is certainly not for the faint hearted。 Set in the trenches of World War I， “At Night All Blood Is Black” has a Senegalese tirailleur （foot soldier） narrating in a spine chilling matter of fact manner， the horrors and heartbreaks of a cathartic war。 Alpha Ndiaye and his best friend， （“my more than brother”）， Mademba Diop are fighting alongside the French against the might of the Germans。 In a horrific tur Bleak， brooding and breathtaking， David Diop’s 2021 International Booker Prize Winning work is certainly not for the faint hearted。 Set in the trenches of World War I， “At Night All Blood Is Black” has a Senegalese tirailleur （foot soldier） narrating in a spine chilling matter of fact manner， the horrors and heartbreaks of a cathartic war。 Alpha Ndiaye and his best friend， （“my more than brother”）， Mademba Diop are fighting alongside the French against the might of the Germans。 In a horrific turn of events Mademba has his stomach disemboweled by the bayonet of a German soldier， feigning death。 With his entrails seeping out， Mademba pleads with Ndiaye to spare him the tarnish of indignity by slitting his throat and thereby putting him out of his unspeakable misery。 In spite of Mademba’ s repeated entreaties， Ndiaye refuses to honour the wishes of his writhing， moaning and imploring friend choosing instead to stay with him until Mademba finally sheds his mortal coil。 This indescribably tragic episode sends Ndiaye into an extraordinary bout of rage lubricated by guilt and fueled by loss。 Ndiaye begins his descent into an abbey of madness with a systematic exhibition of savagery that puts the fear of God in even his own trench-mates。 Venturing with increasing regularity into the ‘no man’s land’ separating the Allied and Axis trenches， Ndiaye sneaks up on his victims， before ritually disemboweling the unfortunate men。 However as a measure of atonement for his inability to lend a swift and painless death to Mademba， he slits the throat of his tortured enemy after letting them suffer for just a wee bit。 “Then I slit his throat， cleanly， humanely。 At night， all blood is black。”By the time Ndiaye gets his seventh hand， a murky and invisible terror permeates his camp。 The inhabitants in his barracks consider him to be a “demm”， a remorseless devourer of souls。 His Captain attempts to impart a degree of reluctant wisdom into Ndiaye。 “You will content yourself with killing them， not mutilating them。 The civilities of war forbid it。” Ndiaye， however， reflecting upon his morbid escapade， concludes that his barbaric acts are nothing but an offshoot of a temporary madness that is an indispensable ally in any conflict。 “Temporary madness makes it possible to forget the truth about bullets。 Temporary madness， in war， is bravery’s sister。” Ndiaye is extricated from the frontline and dispatched to a hospital where Dr。 Francois a psychiatrist takes Ndiaye under his wings。 The narrative in this slim books assumes monumental steam before crescendos to a climax that gives the feeling to the reader of a ghostly chill running down the spine。 The simplistic narrative， characterised by repeated phrases， for example， Ndiaye keeps exclaiming “God’s truth” in a metronomic fashion， masks a much deeper import and significance。 The almost sinister shades and conflicting mental contours that are revealed towards the end of the book， not only provide a telling insight into the disintegration of Ndiaye as a human being， but also conveys in a startlingly lucid fashion the dominion of racial discrimination in the trenches。 The moment， Ndiaye’s Captain， Armand blows the whistle the soldiers are expected to transform into “savages” and charge out of the trench like possessed and shrieking banshees。 Brothers and friends， tribes and sects all compete with one another like crazed maniacs to outdo one another in besting the enemy。 Bewitched by the snide and selfish exhortations of the colonizer， the colonized become a willing piece of meat to be sacrificed at the altar of ascendancy。 “Same rivalry between the Keïtas and the Soumarés。 Same thing between the Diallos and the Fayes， the Kanes and the Thiounes， the Dianés， the Kouroumas， the Bèyes， the Fakolis， the Salls， the Diengs， the Secks， the Kas， the Cissés， the Ndours， the Tourés， the Camaras， the Bas， the Falls， the Coulibalys， the Sonkhos， the Sys， the Cissokhos， the Dramés， the Traorés。 They will all die without thinking because Captain Armand has said to them， “You， the Chocolats of black Africa， are naturally the bravest of the brave。 France admires you and is grateful。”Even Mademba， being the more industrious of the two， applies to join the war mesmerized by the prospect of a potential emigration to St Louis and an opportunity to carry on his own business。 Ndiaye， having moved into Mademba’ s house after losing his mother to slavery， naturally follows his friend。 At some point in time in the story， Ndiaye seamlessly blends into Mademba thereby obliterating the difference between the two friends。 The coalescing of two souls is complete even though it takes an unsparing conflict and an unavoidable mental degeneration for the process to happen。 Even though set amidst the backdrop of the First World War， Diop’s book transcends time and threads through eras。 Discrimination is not the singular or sole prerogative of any age。 So long as humanity inhabits our Planet， there would be contradictory philosophies of black and white， right and left etc。 However as Diop illustrates in a searing fashion， there is an urgent and indispensable need for mankind to transcend such binary notions and look beyond the petty and the petulant。 The translation by Anna Moschovakis is surreal。 Remorse， revulsion and recrimination form an intricate dalliance of words that attract and repulse。 “At Night All Blood is Black” is an exquisite and complete bouquet of a gamut of human emotions。 Near the end of the book， a confused Ndiaye reminisces， ““Where am I？” this new voice asks。 “It feels like I’ve returned from far away。 Who am I？ I don’t know anymore。 Shadows surround me。” Although it would be revealing too much， if the context in which such an introspection was conducted， suffice it to say that contemplation of that ilk is the desperate need of the hour in a word riven by chasms of jealousy and greed。 David Diop with this seraphic book shows us the path to such an introspection。 This is one book which seeps into your skin and remains etched there for an eternity！ 。。。more

Raya ，

I-

Saswati Saha Mitra ，

If you are committed to reading diversely， At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop from @pushkin_press should be on your #TBR。This is not an usual book。 I can’t say war is my favourite topic so I was honestly hesitant to read the book but I am glad I did。Diop is on a mission to reclaim history and offers a post-colonial critique of French history， inserting two unknown Senegalese soldiers， Alfa and Mademba into the narrative- fighting for France in the First World War- a war which is not their If you are committed to reading diversely， At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop from @pushkin_press should be on your #TBR。This is not an usual book。 I can’t say war is my favourite topic so I was honestly hesitant to read the book but I am glad I did。Diop is on a mission to reclaim history and offers a post-colonial critique of French history， inserting two unknown Senegalese soldiers， Alfa and Mademba into the narrative- fighting for France in the First World War- a war which is not theirs to fight and in which they have no control。 By contemplating about pain， mercy and who is the real enemy here， Diop encourages you to think about should there be an ethics of warfare and how we treat each other in war？The battle scenes are gruesome and Alpha’s killing of the enemy and bringing back their hands are absolutely macabre。 The war scenes left me shuddering but what’s even more gut wrenching is how these soldiers are dehumanised。 Simple， young men from the villages of Senegal， join the French army in search of honour but in foreign lands， they are exoticised， first for their raw courage and when that becomes less palatable， as savages with evil power。 There is no winning here for these men。Much of the book’s excellence comes from its descriptions。 Disconnected， fluid， halting， circular - it reflects how difficult war is and how quickly Alpha loses his grasp over reality。 Diop has strength in his language。 He not only puts you in an unfamiliar context but he makes sure you stay profoundly uncomfortable and yet entranced throughout the book as he describes the hellish war zone and how men become animals in the midst of it。I think I will remember At Night… as my second most memorable book about war along with Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front。 It deserves to be on that Booker shortlist。 Give it a go！！！ You won’t regret it。 。。。more

Dave Leys ，

Lyrical， propulsive， eccentric and dark， this is an insight into masculinity and madness in a compelling voice。 The novel didn’t quite stick the landing， but a memorable book

Megan ，

God’s truth， this was too gross and masculine for my taste

Liezel ，

A beautiful book， bordering on magical realism。 A very tough topic， covered in a poetic way。 I am inclined to read it again， just to let the beautiful words wash over me once more。

Gary Daly ，

For me an ambiguous read。 Never been into mystical and folklore literature。 When reading Rushdie I tend to fall away if he gets too mythic in the narrative。 I guess ‘At Night All Blood is Black’ could be an existential novel about young men at war。 At a stretch but the war narrative is anything but existential。 It slips into a prolonged birth， life， death motif towards the end and the story loses its teeth when it departs from the mud and madness of the trenches。 A very quick and easy read。 The For me an ambiguous read。 Never been into mystical and folklore literature。 When reading Rushdie I tend to fall away if he gets too mythic in the narrative。 I guess ‘At Night All Blood is Black’ could be an existential novel about young men at war。 At a stretch but the war narrative is anything but existential。 It slips into a prolonged birth， life， death motif towards the end and the story loses its teeth when it departs from the mud and madness of the trenches。 A very quick and easy read。 The depth of difference is that the novel is from the point of view of a Senegalese soldier fighting for France a long way from gone。 However， the young boys from the slums of London and Australia are as alien to trench warfare as anyone。 It’s a soldiers story and the differences between a French， German or Senegalese soldier are narrow when it comes to the killing and maiming of man against man。 Still interesting read but not in any way a powerful narrative on war。 Bought from Dymocks， $19。99 and it’s also the Winner of the 2021 International Booker Prize。 。。。more

N N ，

Overall this book just wasn’t for me， but the prose is beautiful and the plot is so unique。

Rykel R ，

Currently my unrivalled contender for the best book I've read this year。 Currently my unrivalled contender for the best book I've read this year。 。。。more

Caleb ，

Diop presents horrifying content through beautiful language。 The form of the text （continued use of repetition， short chapters） help pull you into the inescapable setting。 Need to think a bit more about the last 10-20 pages。

Miss Norman ，

Compelling Tale of What Happens When War， Forced Assimilation and Humanity CollideWow。 This was a brilliant， compelling and disturbing narrative told in the distinctive， deranged voice of our antihero。 His story is the result of a perfect storm that brews when cultures collide， boys are forced into men and those men forced into a war that isn’t theirs。 Books like this are what keep the historical fiction genre out of the scummy， commercial depths of literary posers like Ken Follett and Kristin H Compelling Tale of What Happens When War， Forced Assimilation and Humanity CollideWow。 This was a brilliant， compelling and disturbing narrative told in the distinctive， deranged voice of our antihero。 His story is the result of a perfect storm that brews when cultures collide， boys are forced into men and those men forced into a war that isn’t theirs。 Books like this are what keep the historical fiction genre out of the scummy， commercial depths of literary posers like Ken Follett and Kristin Hannah。 There is more to historical fiction than Pillars of the Earth and The Nightingale。 So much more！ 。。。more

Natasha （jouljet） ，

A short， sharp historical fiction depicting African soldiers fighting in World War I for motherland France， against the Germans。 Certainly a rarely told perspective。Alfa has just returned to the trenches， carrying his more-than-brother Mademba's dismembered dead body。 Moments before， he was beside his dying almost-brother who begged him to end his life faster， for mercy。 But he couldn't。Alfa lives with the guilt of not ending his brother's life sooner， rather than wait out his slow death from hi A short， sharp historical fiction depicting African soldiers fighting in World War I for motherland France， against the Germans。 Certainly a rarely told perspective。Alfa has just returned to the trenches， carrying his more-than-brother Mademba's dismembered dead body。 Moments before， he was beside his dying almost-brother who begged him to end his life faster， for mercy。 But he couldn't。Alfa lives with the guilt of not ending his brother's life sooner， rather than wait out his slow death from his graphic wounds of battle。 This changes his subsequent battles， with vengeance sought and acted out on the possible enemy soliders that killed Mademba。 An obsession that is macabre and haunted。Eventually sent behind the lines to recover， Alfa spends time drawing his past for the doctor， and reveals his troubled past in village life。 One of abandonment and loss， and his first sexual encounter before leaving for war。A fast read with real impact， vivid， visceral， and unsettling。 。。。more

William Gwynne ，

When this won the Booker Prize recently， I looked at the blurb and was immediately drawn in。 This is a story about the effects of war， the dehumanising consequences of conflict and the dramatic effects of loss， all whilst also engaging with race， masculinity， identity and more。This is a shocking and engaging read which begins powerfully and maintains that intensity throughout。 Some of the phrases come across as slightly clunky， but that is inevitable when English was not the original language。 I When this won the Booker Prize recently， I looked at the blurb and was immediately drawn in。 This is a story about the effects of war， the dehumanising consequences of conflict and the dramatic effects of loss， all whilst also engaging with race， masculinity， identity and more。This is a shocking and engaging read which begins powerfully and maintains that intensity throughout。 Some of the phrases come across as slightly clunky， but that is inevitable when English was not the original language。 It has been translated from French and is not jarring at all so far， but merely has phrases that sound a bit out of place。At Night All Blood is Black is certainly disturbing。 It is unnerving and disturbing， through showing how someone。 becomes dehumanised， and the presentation of this is masterful， but still unsettling。 The exploration of psychology was amazing to read， and an experience I will remember for a long， long time。 。。。more

Gregory ，

Gorgeous。

Lindsay Hanson ，

A short book which packs quite a punch。 My experience of reading it was twofold。 Superficially， where I was left feeling confused by the ending and bored with the repetitive prose。 Or alternatively， truly stepping into the shoes of an African author telling a story about Senegalese soldiers during WW1。 Very thought-provoking。

Wifey ，

I really liked this book and the story it told。 I also liked the was that it was told， but the constant repetition of "par la vérité de dieu"， at times even twice in one sentence， got on my nerves so much that I am taking off a star。 I really liked this book and the story it told。 I also liked the was that it was told， but the constant repetition of "par la vérité de dieu"， at times even twice in one sentence， got on my nerves so much that I am taking off a star。 。。。more

Stephen C。 ，

Meh。 Interestin structure and replete with imagery and very good writing but didnt love it

Sandra ，

'But I was now free to listen no longer， to no longer obey the voices that command us not to be human when we must。 'This is a powerful story told in the 1st person by Alfa， a Senegalese man from Gandiol， sent to fight for France in the First World War。 The book opens with a lament for Alfa's 'more-than-brother'， Mademba， who Alfa witnessed die an excruciating death on the battlefield。This book explores the violence of war， how it distorts and blurs human conscience。 The expectations and pressur 'But I was now free to listen no longer， to no longer obey the voices that command us not to be human when we must。 'This is a powerful story told in the 1st person by Alfa， a Senegalese man from Gandiol， sent to fight for France in the First World War。 The book opens with a lament for Alfa's 'more-than-brother'， Mademba， who Alfa witnessed die an excruciating death on the battlefield。This book explores the violence of war， how it distorts and blurs human conscience。 The expectations and pressure of colonisation on people who are forced to fight a war， that is not their own & to do it like 'savages。' The cultural lore of these 2 Senegalese boys， their differences and their true devotion to each other。 Extremely powerful and well executed。 It is written in a hypnotic and repetitive way that draws you into Alfa's internal conflict unflinchingly。 Come see this man's truth， not how you would judge him。 。。。more

Jill Mackin ，

A hypnotic tale from the trenches of The Great War。

Jeff Keehr ，

I expected this book to be gruesome， having read in a blurb that it involved a soldier who cut off the hands of his killed enemies。 But the gruesomeness was not gratuitous。 Our protagonist is seeking revenge for the death of his 'more-than-brother' friend who has recently been gutted by the enemy。 I liked the historic aspect of the book。 Though I have done no research to confirm that Senegalese natives fought in WWI on the side of the French， I find it easy to believe。 I am sure all colonial cou I expected this book to be gruesome， having read in a blurb that it involved a soldier who cut off the hands of his killed enemies。 But the gruesomeness was not gratuitous。 Our protagonist is seeking revenge for the death of his 'more-than-brother' friend who has recently been gutted by the enemy。 I liked the historic aspect of the book。 Though I have done no research to confirm that Senegalese natives fought in WWI on the side of the French， I find it easy to believe。 I am sure all colonial countries welcomed their oppressed constituents into their armies， as long as they were kept separate from the citizen combatants of those colonial powers。 Here in America， during WWII， we did these European oppressors one better and recruited blacks into our armed forces only to segregate them in the same way we kept them down in the home country。 The book is good until it tries for some kind of transcendent significance in the final few pages。 The fallen friend takes over the narrative and retells a portion of the story， the part that occurred in Senegal before the friends were shipped out to fight。 But it is incomprehensible to me and I failed to see what the author was trying to convey。 The book won an award。 But I would not recommend it。 。。。more

Danielle McClellan ，

Searing， beautifully written novel about the first world war from the perspective of a young Senegalese soldier whose traumatic experiences propel him into a profound mental and emotional crisis。

Rebecca Stilson ，

Too dark

Grey Thornberry ，

One of the few books I read in a single sitting - true， its length is closer to novella than novel - a dark and engrossing trip through a soldier's descent into psychopathy。 Or maybe ascent into mental liberation。 Like the author says， all things have duality。 One of the few books I read in a single sitting - true， its length is closer to novella than novel - a dark and engrossing trip through a soldier's descent into psychopathy。 Or maybe ascent into mental liberation。 Like the author says， all things have duality。 。。。more

Emma ，

Well I can't say I enjoyed this novel but it is beautifully written yet the content so brutal & dark that I had to take it in small doses， to both savour & avoid。 About the experience of WW1 trench warfare by a Senegalese soldier fighting for the empire。 The language & metaphor is poetic & sometimes audacious respectively。 I struggled with this part but the backstory of his childhood in Senegal was the most moving & interesting before returning to the present & a horrific 'descent into madness' Well I can't say I enjoyed this novel but it is beautifully written yet the content so brutal & dark that I had to take it in small doses， to both savour & avoid。 About the experience of WW1 trench warfare by a Senegalese soldier fighting for the empire。 The language & metaphor is poetic & sometimes audacious respectively。 I struggled with this part but the backstory of his childhood in Senegal was the most moving & interesting before returning to the present & a horrific 'descent into madness' which I found captivating， because I initially wanted to believe this flawed narrator - confident， engaging before I realised that his version of reality was far from real & was becoming ever more detached and abstract。 。。。more

Emily Migliazzo ，

Contemporary French Existentialist war novel concluding with a manifestation of trauma。 "God's truth， after battle we became human again for the enemy。 We can't celebrate the fear of the enemy from the other side for long， when we ourselves are afraid。 The severed hands are our fear， brought inside from outside the trench" （48）。"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。 God's truth， you can't blame God" （64-65）。 Contemporary French Existentialist war novel concluding with a manifestation of trauma。 "God's truth， after battle we became human again for the enemy。 We can't celebrate the fear of the enemy from the other side for long， when we ourselves are afraid。 The severed hands are our fear， brought inside from outside the trench" （48）。"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。 God's truth， you can't blame God" （64-65）。 。。。more

David Cutler ，

This was my suggestion for my book club and as I started it I wondered if I had done the right thing。 The early scenes in particular are some of the most graphically violent and disturbing I think I have ever read， which is also a testament to Diop’s power as a writer。The landscape that he examines of the use of Senegalese colonial troops by the French army in Europe in the First World War is important and fascinating。 But the author takes the story into charged and magical territory with a flas This was my suggestion for my book club and as I started it I wondered if I had done the right thing。 The early scenes in particular are some of the most graphically violent and disturbing I think I have ever read， which is also a testament to Diop’s power as a writer。The landscape that he examines of the use of Senegalese colonial troops by the French army in Europe in the First World War is important and fascinating。 But the author takes the story into charged and magical territory with a flash back to the protagonist’s life immediately before coming to France as a soldier。A more perceptive member of my book group talked about the incantatory power of the final section of the story and the merging of characters。 It seemed to me more of a descent into madness experienced by huge numbers of soldiers of the period and for me the least successful part of the book。But an extraordinary read if you have a strong enough stomach。 。。。more

Joel Swokowski ，

Torn。。。 some good， some not so

Emily ，

I can see why it won a Booker。

Shaili ，

Repetitive， dark and gory。 Constant usage of female genitalia as metaphors was quite disgusting。

Eoin Mulligan ，

Oof， this was a lot to take in。 In just under 150 pages Diop blends the everyday horrors of war with a lyrical and traditional form of storytelling most often found in fairytales and folklore。 The last 30 or so pages are so beautifully done I’d happily reread them ten more times on their own。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=At Night All Blood Is Black: A Novel

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=At Night All Blood Is Black: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,At Night All Blood Is Black: A Novel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0