The story of the crime itself is narrated by one of the perpetrators, an Israeli army officer leading the mission in the desert. As she drives off to uncover the mystery, she shows us how things have changed (or not) over more than half a century. Choosing to scratch the itch caused by the article, she decides to go out in search of the truth, embarking upon a road trip to see the scene of the crime for herself. The second half of the story moves forward to the present day, where a woman in Ramallah stumbles across an old report of the incident. Once the men are taken care of, the only survivors are the dog and a young woman they find cowering on the ground, and while they are taken back to camp, their fate is unlikely to be a happy one. His eyes met their wide eyes, and the eyes of the startled camels, which hopped up and trotted a few steps away the moment the dog let out a howl. When his feet landed at the base of the slope, he headed towards the vegetation, penetrating the branches, which quickly yielded to reveal a band of Arabs standing motionless by the spring.
They’re looking for stray Arabs on a mission to ‘mop up’ possible insurgents, and when they do stumble upon a few Bedouins, they’re not likely to ask any questions: The first half is set in 1949, with a unit of the victorious Israeli army on patrol in the south, near the new Egyptian border.
The affair is representative of all the sufferings of the Palestinian people over the past decades, and while the book is rarely explicit, it makes for a powerful and compelling tale all the same. It’s a short novel in two parts, together providing a glimpse of Palestine past and present, centred on one horrible crime that occurred in 1949. Minor Detail is a book that may not take you long to finish (an hour and a half for me), but it’s certain to leave an impression. (I read a review copy of the Australian edition, released by Text Publishing) – Fitzcarraldo Editions, translated by Elizabeth Jaquette These are the major events that the book is built around, but what gets it going is something else – a minor detail…
Whether in the desert or the city, violence (unfortunately) is all around, and I have to warn you, dear reader, that there may be scenes and mentions of sexual violence that could affect you. Today sees us taking a trip to the Middle East, in what is a split narrative telling two sides of the same story. Well, after rounding up two excusions I went on before the longlist was announced, it’s now time to set off in earnest on our International Booker Prize longlist journey.
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