Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (translated by Elisabeth Jaquette) New Directions & Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2020
Friday, January 19, 2024
Minor Detail is a short novel by Palestinian writer Adania Shibli that doesn’t waste words and is precise as a delicate sculpture work. It reads like a hardboiled novel by James Cain and Albert Camus, with touches of Patricia Highsmith, in that one can feel the skin of all those who are written in this narrative. Based on a confirmed case of a young Bedouin girl being raped and murdered by Israelian soldiers and their commander and then buried or dumped in the desert is a horrifying image of brutality. The book is divided into two parts: The first part is told through the eyes of the Israeli commander as he gets bitten by a mysterious bug, which causes his leg to swell and eventually kill him, but not before he spreads his poison among the troops and a victim. The second part takes place a few decades later as a young Palestinian woman tries to solve the above case, but to do so, she has to go through the absurdity of traveling in the area. Shibli’s descriptive talents add to the overall anxiety or trauma that is settling in place.
The novella can be read in one sitting, and although its a short read, Minor Detail is a book that sticks to your guts/brain long after reading it. A cliché statement, but it is so true.
Yes, I was there, on Friday. Germany is very passive aggressive. It's also still anti-semitic, as is much of Europe (France comes to mind). My son-in-law's family were wealthy linen sellers, in Frankfurt, before the war. The building still stands, was not bombed, now an exclusive commercial area. It has been sliced into two vertical shops; one is a Hermes. The family was forced to sell it to the Nazis for a mark, and the German government has refused restitution. So exactly what is their stance? Very disingenuous. Not unlike ours.
This author was to receive an award at the last Frankfurt Bookfair (75th), but because of the war, and the German's fear of social unrest on the streets (think Bader-Meinhoff), it was canceled for another occasion. The police presence was all that remained. It's hard to argue in Germany.