At Night All Blood Is Black
David Diop · b. 1966 · France
Originally Frère d'âme (French) · translated by Anna Moschovakis
Why it matters
After failing to grant his wounded childhood friend a merciful death, Senegalese tirailleur Alfa Ndiaye begins crossing the wire nightly to collect German hands. The first French novel to win the International Booker: WWI's colonial soldiers given voice at last.
At a glance
war novelcolonial & postcolonial
Difficulty 5/10fast pace145 pagesShort but harrowing; incantatory refrains and ritual violence build an unbroken trance.
Deep dive
What it means that a novel about mutilated hands is narrated by a voice that keeps insisting on its own honesty.
