Minor Detail is a story told in two parts. The first narrative, set in the summer of 1949, follows the events of a detainment, rape, and murder of a young Palestinian woman perpetrated by a group of Israeli soldiers. Told in third person through the eyes of the soldier in charge, it is stark, brutal, and void of any emotion.

The second narrative, told in first person, follows a young Palestinian woman in Ramallah. She hears of this past event and cannot help but be caught up by a minor detail- that woman was murdered 25 years to the day prior to her own birth. This small connection leads her on a tragic journey to discover more information about this woman’s life.

While the first story is horrifying, it is also told in a way that disconnects the reader from the events. Much like how we can feel disconnected from history.

However, the second story really highlights the normalized horrors of everyday life under modern Israeli occupation as a Palestinian. We see a daily life filled with obstacles, borders, military interactions, and the casual violence of having a gun aimed at you for simply trying to walk down a particular street. The reader is actively privy to how standard this all is for our narrator which is its own level of horrifying.

As the story progresses and we begin to see the parallels shaping these two different women's lives, we can only sit in silence once we reach the tragic and inevitable conclusion.

Haunting and incredible. This is a must read.