Fiction

Minor Detail

Minor Detail

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-22 09:56:11
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Adania Shibli
  • ISBN：191309717X
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Summary

Minor Detail begins during the summer of 1949， one year after the war that the Palestinians mourn as the Nakba – the catastrophe that led to the displacement and expulsion of more than 700，000 people – and the Israelis celebrate as the War of Independence。 Israeli soldiers capture and rape a young Palestinian woman， and kill and bury her in the sand。 Many years later， a woman in Ramallah becomes fascinated to the point of obsession with this ‘minor detail’ of history。 A haunting meditation on war， violence and memory， Minor Detail cuts to the heart of the Palestinian experience of dispossession， life under occupation， and the persistent difficulty of piecing together a narrative in the face of ongoing erasure and disempowerment。

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Reviews

Hannah ，

A fantasticly written/translated and utterly haunting depiction of occupied Palestine。 Such palpable feelings of dread and fear throughout。 Not a comfortable read， but an essential one

Aaron Noy ，

A strange reading experience。 The first half is written in a very dry， military-style， third-person perspective following an Israeli soldier， and deals with a horrific crime committed by him and his troops。 The second half jumps forward 50 odd years and is written from the first-person perspective of a Palestinian woman who has become fascinated by the crime because of a minor detail in a newspaper article about the crime and sets off on a journey to investigate further。 Even though it was certa A strange reading experience。 The first half is written in a very dry， military-style， third-person perspective following an Israeli soldier， and deals with a horrific crime committed by him and his troops。 The second half jumps forward 50 odd years and is written from the first-person perspective of a Palestinian woman who has become fascinated by the crime because of a minor detail in a newspaper article about the crime and sets off on a journey to investigate further。 Even though it was certainly not an enjoyable reading experience in any way， it has a power to it and I feel it will stick with me for some time。 。。。more

Rebecca Meyrink ，

This book is short but so engrossing。 When I finished it I had to sit and think about the feelings it left me with。As the name suggests， this book focuses in on a minor detail of history but brings it to life。 The minor details of war and colonization are individual lives。 Beautiful writing and translation。

Harum ，

A perfect novella of minor details。

Rebecca H。 ，

I wrote about this book here: https://readingindie。substack。com/p/m。。。 I wrote about this book here: https://readingindie。substack。com/p/m。。。 。。。more

Simone Subliminalpop ，

★★★ e mezza。

Roomie Wood ，

Learned a lot about the Palestine/Israeli conflict， which is why I picked up the book， but was written in a style I had a hard time getting into， but that's probably because of the translation Learned a lot about the Palestine/Israeli conflict， which is why I picked up the book， but was written in a style I had a hard time getting into， but that's probably because of the translation 。。。more

Rami Hamze ，

（2。5/5）الرواية القصيرة من قسمين。القسم الأول كان مملاً وكثير التكرار في الوصف。 كان يمكن اختصاره بعشرة صفحات على الأكثر بدل ٦٠ صفحة。القسم الثاني كان أفضل بكثير، حيث اعتمدت الكاتبة على السرد من وجه نظر البطلة（ first person） عند تجاوزها الحدود الجغرافية （من فلسطين الى اسرائيل） كما الجسدية والنفسية。 ومع ذلك لم ترتقي الأحداث الى مستوى رواية، فجاءت سطحية ومعتمدة بالكامل على عمق القضية الفلسطينية لحمل القصة。أكثر ما أعجبني وصف الكاتبة لمزبلة على جنب الطريق؛ انها غير قابلة لإعادة التدوير فكل ما رمي فيها ك （2。5/5）الرواية القصيرة من قسمين。القسم الأول كان مملاً وكثير التكرار في الوصف。 كان يمكن اختصاره بعشرة صفحات على الأكثر بدل ٦٠ صفحة。القسم الثاني كان أفضل بكثير، حيث اعتمدت الكاتبة على السرد من وجه نظر البطلة（ first person） عند تجاوزها الحدود الجغرافية （من فلسطين الى اسرائيل） كما الجسدية والنفسية。 ومع ذلك لم ترتقي الأحداث الى مستوى رواية، فجاءت سطحية ومعتمدة بالكامل على عمق القضية الفلسطينية لحمل القصة。أكثر ما أعجبني وصف الكاتبة لمزبلة على جنب الطريق؛ انها غير قابلة لإعادة التدوير فكل ما رمي فيها كان قد استعمل عدة مرات بسبب الحصار بحيث لم يعد للاغراض المرمية اية منفعة محتملة 。。。more

Emily ，

Poignant and deftly written。 It's just wonderfully put together; a little slip of a book resounds so much and teaches a great deal about what it is like to be Palestinian （and a woman in Palestine）。 So worth reading。 Poignant and deftly written。 It's just wonderfully put together; a little slip of a book resounds so much and teaches a great deal about what it is like to be Palestinian （and a woman in Palestine）。 So worth reading。 。。。more

Ciara ，

（Palestine）All my spider bite fears are alive in this book。

Tiyasha Chaudhury ，

I am unable to comprehend the impact that this piece of translated Palestinian literature has on me。 The writing does not start with story-telling that exists as the so-called mainstream。 It is unique; much to a state of exclusivity。 It is a slow burn that does not broadcast itself like that。 It has made an impact on me， that I am sure of。 But how to articulate my thoughts？ I would need time。At the end of the book， I did feel a strange sharpness rushing through my body。 In a manner that I had to I am unable to comprehend the impact that this piece of translated Palestinian literature has on me。 The writing does not start with story-telling that exists as the so-called mainstream。 It is unique; much to a state of exclusivity。 It is a slow burn that does not broadcast itself like that。 It has made an impact on me， that I am sure of。 But how to articulate my thoughts？ I would need time。At the end of the book， I did feel a strange sharpness rushing through my body。 In a manner that I had to raise my eyebrows for。 。。。more

Luciana ，

Talvez uma boa definição sobre este livro， seria: o futuro do passado dos povos palestinos。Dividindo a narrativa em duas partes， no qual a primeira é extremamente repetitiva， cansativa e inquietante， o leitor estará diante de um grupo de soldados israelenses que tem como função dizimar os povos beduínos no deserto do Neguev， acabando por também capturar uma menina entre eles， estando essa sob a sorte dos captores。Em contraponto， rememorando o evento 1948， período que ocorreu a expulsão de mais d Talvez uma boa definição sobre este livro， seria: o futuro do passado dos povos palestinos。Dividindo a narrativa em duas partes， no qual a primeira é extremamente repetitiva， cansativa e inquietante， o leitor estará diante de um grupo de soldados israelenses que tem como função dizimar os povos beduínos no deserto do Neguev， acabando por também capturar uma menina entre eles， estando essa sob a sorte dos captores。Em contraponto， rememorando o evento 1948， período que ocorreu a expulsão de mais de 700 mil palestinos de suas terras， a autora interliga o passado com o presente， quando uma pesquisadora， na segunda parte， dirige-se com o intuito de desvendar os acontecimentos que envolveram o evento supracitado na primeira parte。E é durante sua viagem ao local， que fica visível os receios， o medo e as ilegalidades que permeiam a vida dos povos palestinos， onde a busca pelo passado é um risco ao próprio presente。 Assim， como uma caixa de surpresa， a obra se revela mais do que aparenta; na sutileza da linguagem o medo é o grande protagonista， que acaba por nos levar às páginas finais que são， no mínimo， angustiantes。 Foi uma boa leitura， mas também estranha。 。。。more

L L ，

This book was incredible， and I'm not quite sure how to review it。 It's better described as a novella， but has the narrative and descriptive power of a short story。 Many reviewers recommend taking it in during one sitting， or two （as the story is split into two parts）。 The book can easily be read in two hours。 The first part of the book follows an Israeli soldier in a platoon establishing patrol and territory in the desert near the Egyptian border in 1948。 The platoon kills a group of Arab nomad This book was incredible， and I'm not quite sure how to review it。 It's better described as a novella， but has the narrative and descriptive power of a short story。 Many reviewers recommend taking it in during one sitting， or two （as the story is split into two parts）。 The book can easily be read in two hours。 The first part of the book follows an Israeli soldier in a platoon establishing patrol and territory in the desert near the Egyptian border in 1948。 The platoon kills a group of Arab nomads in the desert， and rescue a young woman back to camp。 The second part follows a Palestinian woman as she wanders into Israeli territory to try to figure out what happened to the woman， who died 25 years before her birth。 The language， though in translation， is precise， rich in sensory detail， and yet subtle about the pervasive violence or threat of violence。 The main character in the first part of the book remains a mystery-- we see his movements， his actions， even experience his deteriorating health， but never quite get into his head， into the logic， or lack thereof， behind his actions。 We are inside the head of the main character in the second part of the book， taking in her anxieties and dislocation， as she navigates checkpoints and areas rendered unfamiliar （the repeated shuffling of pre-1948 and post-1948 maps; Palestinian villages erased）。 The images from the first part of the book repeat in the second: the smell of gasoline， spiders and spiderwebs， barking dogs and the oppressive heat of the desert。 The book explores how people cope with living under an oppressive regime where violence and restrictions on movement are daily accepted facts of life， where the 'major details' become unremarkable， and the minor details， like chewing gum， become significant。 This is a powerful book。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Trudy ，

Part one follows a military detail assigned to an outpost in the Negev Desert to prevent Arabs from populating the area in the War for Independence 1949。 The narrative follows the commander’s daily routine， starting with the minutiae of his ablutions first thing each morning， that should have conveyed intimacy， but in this author’s hands， conveyed detachment， remoteness。 Which perhaps helps the reader understand the unexpected circumstances that occur at the end of the section。In part two， a Pal Part one follows a military detail assigned to an outpost in the Negev Desert to prevent Arabs from populating the area in the War for Independence 1949。 The narrative follows the commander’s daily routine， starting with the minutiae of his ablutions first thing each morning， that should have conveyed intimacy， but in this author’s hands， conveyed detachment， remoteness。 Which perhaps helps the reader understand the unexpected circumstances that occur at the end of the section。In part two， a Palestinian writer became interested in a girl who was mentioned in a newspaper article from 1949。 The writer understands the risks she will take as she travels to the Negev by herself to try and discover the girl’s story， but she is driven to undertake the journey despite the danger。 There were several parts I had to revisit a second time to make sure that I understood what I had read the first time。 。。。more

Yuri Sharon ，

In two equal parts – then （1949） and now – with a twist of time and a ghost， perhaps， at the end。 The Israeli state， it is made plain， was and is based upon the occupation of Palestinian lands， which entails rape and murder。 Furthermore， Israelis venturing into occupied territory， are themselves infected and corrupted by the bite of some mysterious “creature” – spider， scorpion … snake？ Flawlessly structured， the novel captures the reader’s attention with the opening line –“Nothing moved except In two equal parts – then （1949） and now – with a twist of time and a ghost， perhaps， at the end。 The Israeli state， it is made plain， was and is based upon the occupation of Palestinian lands， which entails rape and murder。 Furthermore， Israelis venturing into occupied territory， are themselves infected and corrupted by the bite of some mysterious “creature” – spider， scorpion … snake？ Flawlessly structured， the novel captures the reader’s attention with the opening line –“Nothing moved except the mirage” – and is thereafter held。 We are immersed in a harsh and brutal world， a haunted world， from which， it seems， there is no escape。 This is depressing stuff， but perhaps we should consider the old wisdom that solutions are best found by clearly formulating the problem – which Shibli undoubtedly does。 。。。more

Amirah ，

This was incredible

Erin Euler ，

haunting and beautiful story。 collective generational harm is difficult to grasp and heartbreakingly displayed through this work。 Shibli's prose is unique in form， embodying the title "Minor Detail，" with rhythmic documentation of the mundane， however， the narrative remains crisp。 haunting and beautiful story。 collective generational harm is difficult to grasp and heartbreakingly displayed through this work。 Shibli's prose is unique in form， embodying the title "Minor Detail，" with rhythmic documentation of the mundane， however， the narrative remains crisp。 。。。more

Karin Vandenbosch ，

A masterpiece。

Patrick ，

4，5

Hibo ，

4。5

Nini ，

This shouldn’t be a called a book or even a story。 There’s absolutely no plot line and it includes so many unnecessary details。 There goes the 2 hours that I’ll never get back

Dani ，

I really have not much to say except， wow， that was quite a read。 I understand better now how it is to live in a country that your people have little control over， how， every little mundane thing that you do， you get anxious and you get scared， as the book describes these feelings in a way that it reaches you and lingers。

Nour Sallam ，

Would give a 10th star if I could

Briana ，

Books do not have to be long in order to deliver such a powerful message and this can definitely be said about Minor Detail by Adania Shibli， translated from Arabic by Elisabeth Jacquette。 This is literary fiction with resistance as the genre as readers are plunged into the fight for Palestininian lives as Israelis started their ethnic cleansing back in 1948。 Heavy topics such as ethnic cleansing， gang rape， occupation， violence， and murder are weaved into a story that is haunting but with beaut Books do not have to be long in order to deliver such a powerful message and this can definitely be said about Minor Detail by Adania Shibli， translated from Arabic by Elisabeth Jacquette。 This is literary fiction with resistance as the genre as readers are plunged into the fight for Palestininian lives as Israelis started their ethnic cleansing back in 1948。 Heavy topics such as ethnic cleansing， gang rape， occupation， violence， and murder are weaved into a story that is haunting but with beautiful， almost whimsical prose。First and foremost， I was impressed with the translation to English by Elisabeth Jacquette。 In a lot of translated literature， I get a feeling that I’m missing out on some nuance and beauty with the words but I feel like Jacquette did a good job of picking out exactly what feelings and thoughts Adania Shibli wanted us to have while reading this。 The story itself is put into two chapters which are more like two separate parts。 The first half of the book is about an unnamed Israeli soldier between the dates August 9-13， 1949。 As the book flap says， they come across a teenage Arab girl and kidnap her。 As the events start to unfold， the soldier is bitten by something and it starts to overtake him with poison （presumably） and the story becomes more grim as his injury persists and becomes more gory。 The second portion is set in almost present day where an unnamed woman is obsessed with this crime as she was born 25 years to the day where those events in part one happened。 She feels a connection to that teenage girl who died close to the initial onslaught that left over 700，000 Palestinians displaced and expelled from their homes。 Here is where we get more context since it’s been decades and the ethnic cleansing is still happening。 The woman is living under occupation and it goes into what led to this after the fallout from World War 2。I found the first half more interesting than the second。 The prose is lyrical and poignant despite us knowing exactly what will happen to this teenage girl at the hands of her captors。 I didn’t think there could be this much feeling in something that was so clearly going to happen but I was gripped by what was happening in the earlier pages of this book。 I did find the second half to be less interesting which is why I gave this book three stars。I hoped that I would have more understanding of why this woman was so attached to this incident because I’m sure if we search， we were all born on the anniversary of some big event。 For example， I was born on September 1st which was the day Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and two days later， Great Britain and France declared war on Germany。 I did catch some similarities between her patterns and the girl from part one which gave me chills。 The ending was also interesting and led me with a lot of questions。 I think a couple more reads of this book is necessary to understand it fully though。All in all， it’s a good little book that takes no time getting through it。 It’s worth a read because it is still relevant to our world today。 。。。more

Madison ，

4。5This was beautifully written。 I am so glad I got to read it during woman in translation month。

Tine ，

Translated from Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette， Minor Detail by Adania Shinbli is a two-part novella separately set in 1949 Negrev desert and 80-90s Ramallah illustrating the struggles and plights of non-Israeli inhabitants of Palestine whose circumstances haven’t changed to this day。The first half is a narration by an Israeli commander who led a platoon of military forces to seal their hold of the Negev region after The Nakba。 Days after setting camp in the barren vastness of the desert， the unna Translated from Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette， Minor Detail by Adania Shinbli is a two-part novella separately set in 1949 Negrev desert and 80-90s Ramallah illustrating the struggles and plights of non-Israeli inhabitants of Palestine whose circumstances haven’t changed to this day。The first half is a narration by an Israeli commander who led a platoon of military forces to seal their hold of the Negev region after The Nakba。 Days after setting camp in the barren vastness of the desert， the unnamed commander and his men found Arabs hiding behind greeneries， they spared no one but a girl who was covered with sand， sweat， and filth。 In the days following her capture， the girl who later on smelled like gasoline became like a plant that simply couldn’t resist the desert wind， who was left with no other choice but to surrender with every blow penetrating the boughs。 She was brought back to the desert only to be buried after being damaged to the core。Fast forward to many years later， the second part was brought about by something not usually given importance by readers including myself — death and birth dates。The reader， a young Palestinian woman， armed with borrowed ID and curiosity， sets out to see and discover more about the incident that happened exactly 25 years before she was born。 Crossing two borders at once — first， those set up by Israel to restrict movement， and second， the border between the past and the present， which at times could more difficult to go cross。In her drive， we were taken to a journey of unfamiliarity and seclusion， each turn， each stop shows us that the missing Minor Detail is not just the real and full story of the girl who smelled like gasoline but the decades long history of Palestine and its people that could be likened to a mirage in the vast expanse of barren hills in the Negev in 1949 — disappearing and vanishing。I finished this book last night at midnight and 12 hours later， I’m still thinking about it because the only Minor Thing that you could read in this book is the title。 。。。more

Danya Grom ，

I’ve never lived under foreign occupation， never had my land colonized， but this book really made me feel the dread， anger， and alienation indigenous people feel。

Brynn M。 ，

A tedious book despite its short length。 The recounting of “minor details” experienced by the main characters became taxing after a while。 Regardless， I enjoyed the intertwining stories and the powerful ending very much。

Fraser Simons ，

This book was interesting to me， because initially， I actually found it quite annoying。 The granularity of bland details from the onset creates a strange detachment to such an affecting thing as these Israeli soldiers almost casually inflict themselves on a Palestinian girl before killing her。 It does seem to read like a first person accounting of a historical event。This makes a lot more sense when the second part begins。 The writing shifts into a much more lived experience detail as a woman 25 This book was interesting to me， because initially， I actually found it quite annoying。 The granularity of bland details from the onset creates a strange detachment to such an affecting thing as these Israeli soldiers almost casually inflict themselves on a Palestinian girl before killing her。 It does seem to read like a first person accounting of a historical event。This makes a lot more sense when the second part begins。 The writing shifts into a much more lived experience detail as a woman 25 years later， at great personal risk， feels she needs to uncover more of this event after feeling something deeply affecting in the lines between a historical document。 In her sojourn to a zone she is not allowed due to her identity as a Palestinian， we end up seeing how much of an effect history has on current， lived experiences。 Visual motifs are as much of a through line as the universality of the Palestinian experience， even across 25 years。 And the reader experiences the contrast between the now and then with the structure and difference in voice。 It’s a book that is far more concerned with conveying some specific notions， rather than characterization， fully fleshed out plot; more traditional and conventional narratives， basically。 That was a strength for me。 I imagine this might be polarizing for some because of it， though。 。。。more

Jessica Reads & Rambles ，

3。5 stars

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Minor Detail

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Minor Detail&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Minor Detail&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0