Meet Alfa Ndaiye, a "Chocolat" soldier fighting for France in World War I. Alfa joined the war with his more-than-brother Mademba in the hopes of seeing the world and making a better life for themselves. What they weren't prepared for was the brutality of war and France's use of their people - arming them with guns and machetes, instructing them to run onto the battlefield screaming, inspiring fear in their enemy's blue eyes as they survey the savage brutal killing machines from Africa.

When Alfa find Mademba on the battlefield in the aftermath of a scrummage, sliced in the belly with his insides on his outsides, Mademba requests a final blow from Alfa, which he is unable to deliver. Mademba's death begins to haunt Alfa, he wishes he had shown mercy to his friend and relieved him of the final moments of suffering. Alfa descends into madness and begins murdering German's, one at a time, in the same method in which Mademba was killed. He brings back a souvenir from each, a hand - one that only minutes before had held a gun that killed some of his brother's in arms. At first Alfa is praised, but then his allies seem to distance themselves from him and begin to whisper that he is a soul sucker, and that it was he who caused his more than brother Mademba's death. The general, recognising Alfa's descent into madness, sends him to the rear for recovery, where his stability is assessed. Alfa is sure of one thing, if they find the hands they will send him onto the battlefield for certain death, and he must keep them hidden at all costs.

Told from first person, Alfa's brutal description of events grabs the reader from the start. The barbarianism and horrors of war are brought to life with vivid images and haunting prose. My only complaint is that the story was somewhat repetitive. The paragraph would be repeated on later pages only to expand on the happenings the second round. Understanding that the narrator was suffering from PTSD - this could have been intentional. It took nothing away from the story at all it was just very noticeable.

This is story I will not forget!

I can not wait to dive all the way into this book. I'm gripped by the first pages. The prose here is stunning "like that, all of a sudden without warning, it hit me brutally in the head, like a giant seed of war dropped from the metallic sky, the day Mademba Diop died." woosh... I'm afraid as a judge for a book contest I can't offer more information but just thank you for publishing this book.

I was very intrigued by the subject matter of “At Night All Blood is Black.” We don’t tend to see war from the perspective of people of color, especially those involved in mostly white wars. David Diop’s prose is fascinating and lyrical, though I felt a bit detached from the story at some points because of it. Definitely an interesting look at the mental fallout of war and how there’s such as thing as “too much” even in respect to pain and violence.

This book chronicles the life of a Sengalese fighter in the first World War. He was called a "Chocolat" soldier. I found that part of this novel very interesting. I knew very little about the Sengalese involvement in WWI and I always like the opportunity to learn while reading.

This story tells the tale of Alfa and how he slowly becomes insane. It also has elements of black magic. This book told a tale of a time in WWI that is long forgotten which made this story all the more appealing to me. It was quite unique.

I felt the writing, however, to be a little choppy and strained at times. Otherwise, I thought this was a very well-done, character-driven novel. Well done.

A beautifully written fictional account of a little-known faction of WWI, told from the front line perspective of a Senegalese soldier fighting for France. Although a short read, this novel is well paced and takes you through the horrors and confusion of how war takes its toll on the individual. A moving read with a gripping end. I can’t imagine this won’t win further awards now that it has been translated from its original French.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC!

In “At Night All Blood is Black”, the experience of the narrator’s disintegration into madness in the aftermath of his friend’s agonizing death frankly almost makes “All Quiet on the Western Front” feel like a light read (comparatively so). For a work that is little over a hundred pages, it packs a power that easily makes it the equal of any of the great anti-war classics.