“Alfa Ndiaye, a Senegalese villager with no prior experience outside his hometown, finds himself thrust into the role of a ‘Chocolat’ soldier, fighting for the French army during World War I. Amidst the horrors of the battlefield, Alfa’s close friend Mademba Diop, serving in the same regiment, suffers severe injuries. In an act of desperation, Diop implores Alfa to end his life and spare him the agonizing torment of a slow death in No Man’s Land.
Torn by the request, Alfa cannot bring himself to carry out this act of mercy, and this perceived failure weighs heavily on his conscience, driving him towards the brink of madness. Fueled by a need for vengeance and personal redemption, he embarks on a chilling ritual: under cover of darkness, he infiltrates enemy lines to hunt down and kill a blue-eyed German soldier, returning with the severed hand as grim proof. Initially hailed as a hero by his comrades, Alfa’s actions soon give rise to unsettling rumors that label him not a savior, but a sorcerer and devourer of souls. Plans are set in motion to remove Alfa from the frontlines and separate him from his growing collection of hands. Yet, how does one reason with a being that seems possessed, and how far is Alfa willing to go to honor his fallen friend?
Interwoven with bullets and elements of the supernatural, this extraordinary novel sheds light on a forgotten aspect of World War I. Merging oral storytelling traditions with the harsh, everyday, and journalistic horrors experienced on the frontlines, David Diop’s ‘At Night All Blood is Black’ is a stunning narrative of a man’s descent into madness.
Handpicked by students across France for the prestigious Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, David Diop’s English-language debut, a work of historical fiction, uncovers a haunting tale of terror and transformation in the trenches of the First World War.”
