The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
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- Create Date：2022-09-08 00:17:38
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- Author：Shehan Karunatilaka
- ISBN：1908745908
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Summary
Colombo， 1989。 Maali Almeida， war photographer， gambler and closet queen， has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office。 His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira lake and he has no idea who killed him。 In a country where scores are settled by death squads， suicide bombers and hired goons， the list of suspects is depressingly long， as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round can attest。 But even in the afterlife， time is running out for Maali。 He has seven moons to try and contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos that will rock Sri Lanka。
Ten years after his prizewinning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka's foremost authors， Shehan Karunatilaka is back with a mordantly funny， searing satire。 The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a state-of-the-nation epic that proves yet again that the best fiction offers the ultimate truth。
Ten years after his prizewinning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka's foremost authors， Shehan Karunatilaka is back with a mordantly funny， searing satire。 The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a state-of-the-nation epic that proves yet again that the best fiction offers the ultimate truth。
Reviews
Rachel
，
I don’t think I would’ve read this book had it not been long-listed for the Booker。 Which is the beauty of literature prizes。 This is the story of Maali Almeida in the afterlife trying to right his life’s wrongs， protect and direct his loved ones， recollect his death and wreak a little bit of havoc in the process。Reading this was an investment of time and mental stamina for me。 I didn’t know much about the factions （political， religious and race） or history of Sri Lanka which meant I stumbled of I don’t think I would’ve read this book had it not been long-listed for the Booker。 Which is the beauty of literature prizes。 This is the story of Maali Almeida in the afterlife trying to right his life’s wrongs， protect and direct his loved ones， recollect his death and wreak a little bit of havoc in the process。Reading this was an investment of time and mental stamina for me。 I didn’t know much about the factions （political， religious and race） or history of Sri Lanka which meant I stumbled often trying to grasp and retain what I could as I read。 Truly inventive and imaginative， also with mystery and humour。 A very ambitious work and very deserving of its place on the 2022 Booker shortlist。 。。。more
Gregory Duke
，
3。5Super creative and a mess that entertains and bores， ebbs and flows， as Karunatilaka details the complexities of the Sri Lankan Civil War through a supernatural mystery filled with rebirths and whispers and wind-riders and a lot of powerful photographs。 The first 150 pages and the last 50 pages are wonderful， but the novel loses its way in the middle section。 I'm not against a lengthy novel （and this isn't even that long）， but this feels like an editor could've been a bit harsher with their w 3。5Super creative and a mess that entertains and bores， ebbs and flows， as Karunatilaka details the complexities of the Sri Lankan Civil War through a supernatural mystery filled with rebirths and whispers and wind-riders and a lot of powerful photographs。 The first 150 pages and the last 50 pages are wonderful， but the novel loses its way in the middle section。 I'm not against a lengthy novel （and this isn't even that long）， but this feels like an editor could've been a bit harsher with their word-chopping。 I do think I want this one to win the Booker though， regardless of its problems。Summary of Booker 2022 thoughts:Easily the worst longlist I've experienced in real time。 Some of the worst things I've read this year have come from this list。 The British literary establishment is in shambles。 On the surface， this looks like a list comprised of variety and experimentation， yet you read it all and you realize， oh， this is all actually deeply uninteresting and conservative stylistically。 Whatever。 Here's my ranking:1） The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka2） Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet （this does not deserve a literary prize but easily entertained me the most）3） Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer4） The Trees by Percival Everett5） After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz6） Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley7） Oh William！ by Elizabeth Strout8） Trust by Hernan Diaz9） The Colony by Audrey Magee10） Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo 11） Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan12） Treacle Walker by Alan Garner13） Booth by Karen Joy Fowler 。。。more
Jenny
，
An inventive and occasionally laugh-out-loud journey into violence， fantasy bureaucracy， and love。 It was interesting to have a protagonist who had been so mean and yet seemed so suddenly （though not necessarily inexplicably） changed。
Nancy Oakes
，
oh， oh， and OH！ Loved this one。 more soon。
Meike
，
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022Final entry， then I've finished the whole list - let's do it！ Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022Final entry， then I've finished the whole list - let's do it！ 。。。more
Doug
，
AKA Chats with the Dead， and might as well have been called 'Maali in the Bardo '， this had somewhat the same effect on me as that earlier Booker winner that took place in the afterlife。 My tolerance for whimsical ghosts and musings on mortality is quite low， so this was never going to sit well with me。 But to compound that problem， one really needs to know （and care） about the history of Sri Lanka's civil war（s） to actually understand what is happening - and I was never invested enough in the s AKA Chats with the Dead， and might as well have been called 'Maali in the Bardo '， this had somewhat the same effect on me as that earlier Booker winner that took place in the afterlife。 My tolerance for whimsical ghosts and musings on mortality is quite low， so this was never going to sit well with me。 But to compound that problem， one really needs to know （and care） about the history of Sri Lanka's civil war（s） to actually understand what is happening - and I was never invested enough in the storyline or characters to do even rudimentary Googling。 And it's always annoying when every 17th word is not in the Kindle dictionary， so one has to either belabor oneself with more Googling - or just kinda/sorta guess what the words mean and move on （why， oh why， can't foreign authors provide glossaries and/or footnotes？！！）。Add to that the superfluity of characters， all with multisyllabic unpronounceable names and almost 400 pages which could have easily been chopped in half - and well， this sinks to the bottom tier in my Booker ratings。 Amid the dross and drudgery though， there were some memorable scenes and a few chuckles， and I managed to get through it in 3 days， so a grudging 3 stars。 。。。more
Arunima
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A 2022 Booker Long-list read。 A war-torn country， a dead photojournalist and a 'handsome man in love with a beautiful boy'。 A richly imagined and beautifully written novel about the civil war in Sri-Lanka in the 1980s。 In this book， it is the fantasy elements of a waiting-room-to-heaven， yakas， demons， ghosts and the Mahakaali that set it apart from many other war-time chronicles。 The author layers these elements with a subtle charm to tell a devastating story of love， loss， compassion， forgiven A 2022 Booker Long-list read。 A war-torn country， a dead photojournalist and a 'handsome man in love with a beautiful boy'。 A richly imagined and beautifully written novel about the civil war in Sri-Lanka in the 1980s。 In this book， it is the fantasy elements of a waiting-room-to-heaven， yakas， demons， ghosts and the Mahakaali that set it apart from many other war-time chronicles。 The author layers these elements with a subtle charm to tell a devastating story of love， loss， compassion， forgiveness and hope。 Loved this book， and I really hope this gets on the shortlist。 。。。more
Tony
，
Booker Longlist read。 Full review will go in here after it has gone up on Dreamcage。
Katheryn Thompson
，
It took me a little while to get into The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida， as I don’t read much fantasy and I knew little about Sri Lanka’s civil wars。 But Shehan Karunatilaka does an impressive job of rendering comprehensible both the fantastic world he creates， and the history he describes。Amidst all the chaos of the afterlife， where Maali Almeida finds himself， is a wonderfully simple conceit: once you die， you have seven days to enter The Light， or you’re stuck in the In Between forever。 But Ma It took me a little while to get into The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida， as I don’t read much fantasy and I knew little about Sri Lanka’s civil wars。 But Shehan Karunatilaka does an impressive job of rendering comprehensible both the fantastic world he creates， and the history he describes。Amidst all the chaos of the afterlife， where Maali Almeida finds himself， is a wonderfully simple conceit: once you die， you have seven days to enter The Light， or you’re stuck in the In Between forever。 But Maali doesn’t know what this Light is; all he cares about is finding out who killed him， and， as a closeted gambler and war photographer， the list of suspects is long。I’ve enjoyed most of the books I’ve read from the Booker longlist， and there’s more than one which I’d be happy to see win， but The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is the first one I’ve loved。 The world Karunatilaka has created is mind-blowing， and I thoroughly enjoyed this story - part mystery， part history， part myth。 。。。more
Joy D
，
Set in Colombo， Sri Lanka in 1989， the ghost of war photographer Maali Almeida finds himself in a liminal place called the In Between。 He has seven days （“moons”） to figure out who killed him and why， He must also decide whether to proceed into The Light or remain forever in the In Between。 A ghost called Sena is trying to influence him to join his group in the In Between so they can take revenge on their killers。 A demon called the Mahakali is out to devour as many souls as possible。 All this i Set in Colombo， Sri Lanka in 1989， the ghost of war photographer Maali Almeida finds himself in a liminal place called the In Between。 He has seven days （“moons”） to figure out who killed him and why， He must also decide whether to proceed into The Light or remain forever in the In Between。 A ghost called Sena is trying to influence him to join his group in the In Between so they can take revenge on their killers。 A demon called the Mahakali is out to devour as many souls as possible。 All this is told in an entertaining manner， using grim humor to balance the darker content。 It works on so many levels。 On the surface， it is an entertaining mystery and can easily be read as a quasi-detective novel。 It also works as an indictment of the abuse of power by dictators and their minions， historical commentary on the multiple factions involved in the Sri Lankan civil war， and reflections on what it means to be human。 It is one of the few novels that effectively uses the second person point of view。 I was familiar with this period in Sri Lankan history from my prior reading; however， I do not think this familiarity is necessary to enjoy it。 Karunatilaka does an excellent job of providing the background the reader needs。 It is a wild ride， and I loved every minute。 This book gets one of my rare 5 stars and I am adding it to my list of favorites。 。。。more
K。J。 Charles
，
Set in Sri Lanka in the late 80s: corruption， appalling brutality and civil war。 Maali， a gay war photographer， has been disappeared and murdered and his body dumped。 The book is about his experience of the afterlife， him working out who killed him， and attempting to contact his boyfriend and best friend to keep them safe and revenge himself on his killers。It's a great premise for a book about a serious， dreadful time about which I know shamefully little。 This was a bit of an issue as there's a Set in Sri Lanka in the late 80s: corruption， appalling brutality and civil war。 Maali， a gay war photographer， has been disappeared and murdered and his body dumped。 The book is about his experience of the afterlife， him working out who killed him， and attempting to contact his boyfriend and best friend to keep them safe and revenge himself on his killers。It's a great premise for a book about a serious， dreadful time about which I know shamefully little。 This was a bit of an issue as there's a huge amount of domestic factional politics plus foreign interference from the US and India and it was pretty hard to follow， with an awful lot of characters and hidden motives。 There's also an afterlife plot which is also complicated and full of intrigue and hidden motives。 Which could make for a hugely absorbing read--the writing is vivid and powerful and the story bitterly important--but unfortunately it is told in second person present tense （"You watch them cut off your head and dispose of your body"） including in the many flashbacks。 I am sure there's a good literary reason behind this decision but it absolutely didn't work for me。 Present tense is usually fairly pointless IMO （the only book I can think of that actively benefits from its use is Infomocracy by Malka Older） and becomes thoroughly annoying when flashbacks get involved。 And the second person is confusing in a complicated book， and I found it very distancing。 That may well have been the intention， reflecting Maali's war photographer 'onlooker' attitude and his enforced emotional detachment as a gay man in a homophobic society， but the cumulative effect made it a tough read for me。I keep saying "for me" because I can see the skill here and I'm very sure others will find it engaging and moving and powerful， but I am not the right reader for this。 DNF at 56%。 。。。more
Susan
，
I very much enjoyed reading 'The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida' set in the Sri Lankan civil war。 There are some violent and brutal scenes， but I enjoyed the writing and the whodunnit aspect of the book - with a twist。Maali， a closet gay photographer and witness to atrocities has been brutally murdered。 The seven moons are the seven days/nights， he hovers between his death and moving into the Light， where he will lose his memory and be reborn into a new life。 During that week， he pieces together w I very much enjoyed reading 'The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida' set in the Sri Lankan civil war。 There are some violent and brutal scenes， but I enjoyed the writing and the whodunnit aspect of the book - with a twist。Maali， a closet gay photographer and witness to atrocities has been brutally murdered。 The seven moons are the seven days/nights， he hovers between his death and moving into the Light， where he will lose his memory and be reborn into a new life。 During that week， he pieces together what happened to him and watches as his friends， lover and family search for the incriminating photos he left behind。Interestingly， the book is written in the 2nd person。 This gives a sense of immediacy so that the reader feels she is trying to solve the mystery about herself。 。。。more
David Kenvyn
，
You just have to read this book。 Never mind that you have not heard of the author。 Never mind tat you cannot pronounce his name。 Never mind tat you have little or no knowledge of Sri Lankan history and mythology。 Never mind that you have not read the Ramayana and do not know who Ravanna is。 You know what a demon is and you know what an angel is。 Shehan Karunatilaka writes beautifully and is a brilliant storyteller。 You will be swept along by the narrative。Let me give you some idea。 Maali Almeida You just have to read this book。 Never mind that you have not heard of the author。 Never mind tat you cannot pronounce his name。 Never mind tat you have little or no knowledge of Sri Lankan history and mythology。 Never mind that you have not read the Ramayana and do not know who Ravanna is。 You know what a demon is and you know what an angel is。 Shehan Karunatilaka writes beautifully and is a brilliant storyteller。 You will be swept along by the narrative。Let me give you some idea。 Maali Almeida has been murdered and now has seven nights， that is seven moons， to sort out his afterlife。 To do this， he has to sort out the aftermath of his life in war-torn Sri Lanka。 He has left DD and Jaki in a state of panic and bewilderment because he has disappeared and they do not know if he is a prisoner， or has been murdered by one of the numerous death squads operating in his country。He meets Dr。 Ranee who is trying to get him into the light （heaven） and Sena， a murder victim like himself， who is aspiring to be a demon working for the Mahakali and getting his revenge on the people who killed him。 These encounters help the story to unfold， in truly magical realist ways， as we meet the gamblers and gays， the policemen， the garbage disposal men and a host of others who are involved in the events that lead to Maali’s murder。The story also takes you through the recent history of Sri Lanka from the 1983 massacres that began the descent in chaos， as the Sinhala and the Tamil forces fought each other to a standstill， involving a host of players both local and international。 The last 40 years in Sri Lanka have been brutal， with disappearances and kidnappings， murders， boy soldiers and battles， and mass graves。 Karunatilaka guides us through this confused， murderous story with clarity and skill。Now for a confession。 I bought this book at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for the silliest of reasons。 The book jacket is attractively designed。 The title caught my eye。 I had not heard of the author before， which made me cautious。 Then I thought “I am on holiday so why not？ It isn’t that expensive”。 It is not a decision that I have regretted。 。。。more
T
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Pleasingly complex with just the right amount of action to keep it rolling。 An intriguing tale that could have happened in any war ravaged country but this one occurred in a tropical paradise。 I enjoyed the plot of three good friends versus an afterlife of sorts mixed with all types of moral decisions。 The "other world" building here was well plotted and appreciated。I would not have noticed Seven Moons if not for its Booker listing。 I seem to enjoy books about Sri Lanka （A Passage North）。Suffolk Pleasingly complex with just the right amount of action to keep it rolling。 An intriguing tale that could have happened in any war ravaged country but this one occurred in a tropical paradise。 I enjoyed the plot of three good friends versus an afterlife of sorts mixed with all types of moral decisions。 The "other world" building here was well plotted and appreciated。I would not have noticed Seven Moons if not for its Booker listing。 I seem to enjoy books about Sri Lanka （A Passage North）。Suffolk library 。。。more
Ana
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4。7
Nicole D。
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Readers Room Panel reviews https://thereadersroom。org/2022/08/30。。。 Readers Room Panel reviews https://thereadersroom。org/2022/08/30。。。 。。。more
sisterimapoet
，
I read somewhere that Karunatilaka made significant changes to this novel to make it more accessible to a wider audience who might not be able to follow the various wranglings relating to the civil war。 I must admit that I still struggled to keep track of the factions involved but this did not detract from the central storyline of Maali's attempts to find out what happened to him and who was responsible。 A wildly fantastical novel and yet- grounded firmly in humanity， in the simple but vital int I read somewhere that Karunatilaka made significant changes to this novel to make it more accessible to a wider audience who might not be able to follow the various wranglings relating to the civil war。 I must admit that I still struggled to keep track of the factions involved but this did not detract from the central storyline of Maali's attempts to find out what happened to him and who was responsible。 A wildly fantastical novel and yet- grounded firmly in humanity， in the simple but vital interactions between family and friends。 。。。more
CHIDAMBARAM
，
Really enjoyed reading the first few paragraphs and enjoyed it and it seems to have been written as a Second Person Narrative which is a rarity and getting interesting as we move forward。 Looking forward to reading the full text on priority。 Hoping it to be the winner of 2022 Booker Prize winner。 Unless there is something more interesting in the rest of the longlisted novels。 Best Wishes ！
Erin Pickering
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3。5 ⭐️ Again， super clever but not really my cup of tea。
Topher
，
What to say about this glorious novel！ This is a great book。 Essentially it is about a Sri Lankan man who is making his way in the afterlife with unfinished business left in the living realm。 It details some of the horrific crimes of the civil war in the 80s。 So while there is much political intrigue， it is also heart warming， sad and reflective。 This just ticks all my boxes。 It is also about queer love。 The main character is brash and sardonic， but also brave， courageous and amoral。 He is flawe What to say about this glorious novel！ This is a great book。 Essentially it is about a Sri Lankan man who is making his way in the afterlife with unfinished business left in the living realm。 It details some of the horrific crimes of the civil war in the 80s。 So while there is much political intrigue， it is also heart warming， sad and reflective。 This just ticks all my boxes。 It is also about queer love。 The main character is brash and sardonic， but also brave， courageous and amoral。 He is flawed but wise。 I really hope this gets in the short list for the booker and eventually takes the prize。 This is so literary and deserves much praise and adoration。 I will miss these characters。 This gets a 5/5 and goes in my top 5 reads of the year。 。。。more
Michael
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Leaps to the top of my list for the 2022 Booker Prize。 Beautifully written， moving， always fascinating。 The second great book from Sri Lanka （along with Anuk Arudpragasam's A Passage North， which SHOULD have won the Booker last year IMHO） that I've read in the last 12 months。 Leaps to the top of my list for the 2022 Booker Prize。 Beautifully written， moving， always fascinating。 The second great book from Sri Lanka （along with Anuk Arudpragasam's A Passage North， which SHOULD have won the Booker last year IMHO） that I've read in the last 12 months。 。。。more
Milly Reynolds
，
Another excellent read from this year's Booker Prize longlist。This novel is set in Colombo and our main man， Maali Almedia is dead。 He describes himself as a photographer， gambler and slut and the book opens with him finding himself in a kind of waiting room in the afterlife where white-coated Helpers assist the newly deceased to move to The Light - a strange place for him to find himself as he has never believed in anything。 He is told that he has seven moons - seven days - to sort out anything Another excellent read from this year's Booker Prize longlist。This novel is set in Colombo and our main man， Maali Almedia is dead。 He describes himself as a photographer， gambler and slut and the book opens with him finding himself in a kind of waiting room in the afterlife where white-coated Helpers assist the newly deceased to move to The Light - a strange place for him to find himself as he has never believed in anything。 He is told that he has seven moons - seven days - to sort out anything that might prevent him from getting to The Light。 Maali has no memory of his death， how he came to die， who killed him。 As a photographer who worked for whoever paid him - the army， the government， the warring factions - he has kept hidden as insurance a set of photographs and negatives， proof of double-dealing， proof of torture， proof of murder。 He needs these photographs to be put out into the public domain， something that he hopes might bring about the end of the war。 But he is dead。 There are ways to contact the living， he finds， legitimate ways with the guidance of the Helpers and other ways。 He is approached by a 'spirit'， Sena， who asks him to join with him instead of going to The Light。 he asks him to stay in The Inbetween and seek to destroy those who killed him。 A tempting offer， espsecially as Sena tells him there are ways to whisper to the living。There is a murder mystery element to this novel as Maali tries to find out who killed him and tries to get his photographs into the right hands。 In his life， Maali lived with Jaki and her cousin DD。 DD is the son of a government minister and is Maali's lover。 A fact they both keep secret from Jaki， who herself wanted a relationship with Maali and who to the outside world is his girlfriend， and DD's father as such a relationship was still taboo。 Maali also had other secrets， he didn't tell DD about the 'pick-ups' that he had whenever he was on assignments。 He also had a difficult relationship with his mother。 However， he realises that if the photographs are found then not only might Jaki and DD be in danger， but the secrets that he had kept hidden from DD might also see the light。I was worried that my lack of knowledge about the civil war in Sri Lanka would hinder my progress through this book， but it didn't。 The atrocities that are described in grisly detail and the corruption that exists in any conflict is highlighted。 My lack of knowledge of Sri Lankan folklore didn't stop my enjoyment and I believe， though you can prove me wrong that there is something about the first seven days after death being important which would tie in to the seven moons。 Nevertheless， I loved this - the way that we learn more about Maali as we meet the people that he tries to haunt， and as he remembers the stories behind the photographs that he took。 And as for the ending - so well written。 A super， super book。 。。。more
Ruth
，
When I started reading this book I was expecting to really enjoy it。 It reminded me a bit of Elif Shafak's "Ten minutes， 30 seconds in this strange world'， which I thought was very good。 However， I soon found the writing style disjointed and the heavy use of dialogue affected the flow of the story for me。 Also， although the story and characters were potentially interesting， it was all a bit depressing， negative and violent。 If it had been a shorter book I might have persevered but with 368 pages When I started reading this book I was expecting to really enjoy it。 It reminded me a bit of Elif Shafak's "Ten minutes， 30 seconds in this strange world'， which I thought was very good。 However， I soon found the writing style disjointed and the heavy use of dialogue affected the flow of the story for me。 Also， although the story and characters were potentially interesting， it was all a bit depressing， negative and violent。 If it had been a shorter book I might have persevered but with 368 pages I gave up at the first moon！ 。。。more
Lauren
，
Booker Prize Longlist 2022When prize lists are announced I try to find what I can on audio， or at least free to read somewhere and I don’t buy the book unless I have a good feeling about it （Great Circle for example）。 This book， having not been released， was the most difficult to get hold of and yes， the cover is very attractive， but world politics？ Was I buying a book I would really struggle to get through and resent？ I read a page of the sample on Amazon and took the plunge。 I’m so glad I did！ Booker Prize Longlist 2022When prize lists are announced I try to find what I can on audio， or at least free to read somewhere and I don’t buy the book unless I have a good feeling about it （Great Circle for example）。 This book， having not been released， was the most difficult to get hold of and yes， the cover is very attractive， but world politics？ Was I buying a book I would really struggle to get through and resent？ I read a page of the sample on Amazon and took the plunge。 I’m so glad I did！Sri Lanka 1990: A war photographer with no real allegiances wakes up dead and has seven moons （days） to figure things out and go into the light。 Who killed him？ Why？ Was it the sensitive photos he took？ Gambling debts？ A jealous lover？I didn’t know anything about the Civil War in Sri Lanka and I expected this book to be too heavy for me， and I’ll admit it was difficult at first to keep the different players straight。 However， unlike A Passage North – which is continually mentioned in connection to this because of the setting – the fantastical， mystical story makes it very accessible。 It’s tough and brutal but also funny and exciting！ It’s fast-paced and filled with ghosts and ghouls and talking animal spirits; it’s never dull。I found myself sticking tabs not because I wanted to remember something （as I usually do） but because there were so many simple yet profound or cutting or hilarious sentences。 What a feat to write a book so entertaining， yet hard-hitting and informative！ I hesitated over giving 5 stars， maybe because I was confused in places， but then I realised that I’d read the latter 70% in 24 hours – I was hooked！ I loved it！ And I don’t let myself give 5 stars often enough。 I’d LOVE this book to win the Booker Prize and I think it has a better chance than my two other favourites on the LL。 。。。more
Fraser Simons
，
Maali of Sri Lanka finds himself in the in-between， having just died。 Other spirits surround him。 Importantly， there is a choice between trusting the institution in place to port souls back into the Buddhist reincarnation cycle—or to leave that behind， and believe a spirit who claims that people are being churned enough。 They tell him he was murdered and if he wishes to know what happened to him， and most importantly， obtain some measure of retribution， then he must learn from those people who s Maali of Sri Lanka finds himself in the in-between， having just died。 Other spirits surround him。 Importantly， there is a choice between trusting the institution in place to port souls back into the Buddhist reincarnation cycle—or to leave that behind， and believe a spirit who claims that people are being churned enough。 They tell him he was murdered and if he wishes to know what happened to him， and most importantly， obtain some measure of retribution， then he must learn from those people who stay in the between place。 Where they can whisper thoughts into ears and have the person think it is their own voice。 Or turn into another kind of creature altogether， such a demon or ghoul。 He has seven moons to decide to go to the light， or else lose his choice completely and dwell between。 While this does have some issues with middle book syndrome， and it does like to reiterate things really often， （one time it reiterated something only two pages back） overall I think the story is great and plotting serviceable。 The world building， what is there of it， is really interesting， derived from beliefs in the culture。 Where it lacks somewhat substantially is in， ironically， because Maali was a photographer， is painting a scene。 It is primarily dialogue， with very sparse description that generally is not repeated or altered。 For something taking place in ‘89 and in Sri Lanka， and how the protagonist would be processing the world， there’s really a lot left to the reader to project onto the fiction。 That’s my number one gripe。 Coupled with the slow pacing near the middle， especially when how Maali negotiates this between place as a ghost and what’s possible there， it does lag and could absolutely have been truncated。 It is also told in 2nd person which raises some interesting questions immediately in the fiction， but might also put off some people。 For me， it worked well and felt organic。 No problem。 The mystery always kept me coming back， though。 How did Maali die？ Will he be able to communicate really important details to his lover， DD， and best friend and presentable girlfriend， Jacki。 Maali being a queer man in a society completely intolerant of that， and not being a sad， self loathing queer was really great as well。 But also dangerous， always adding to a subtext to interactions。 Did it play a part in his death？ Did his job， photographing atrocities for various factions， finally put him in the crosshairs of someone？ Or perhaps his gambling debts？ All of the characters were believable， interesting， and flawed。 No more than Maali himself， who was very single serving it seems。 Not exactly an anti-hero or dark horse。 Just very human， in a way that worked and drove home the themes well。 。。。more
Yahaira
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With dark humor and a satirical eye， Karunatilaka sets up a who-dunnit that ends up exposing everyone from NGO’s， the government and different military factions as the ‘bad guy’ during Sri Lanka’s civil war; everyone’s hands were bloody - especially during the 1983 pogroms。The beginning of the book is chaotic and it takes a while for everything to fall into place。 But Maali as the main character kept me going with his mix of irreverence and sensitivity。 I loved that he was nowhere close to being With dark humor and a satirical eye， Karunatilaka sets up a who-dunnit that ends up exposing everyone from NGO’s， the government and different military factions as the ‘bad guy’ during Sri Lanka’s civil war; everyone’s hands were bloody - especially during the 1983 pogroms。The beginning of the book is chaotic and it takes a while for everything to fall into place。 But Maali as the main character kept me going with his mix of irreverence and sensitivity。 I loved that he was nowhere close to being perfect （he’s a liar， a cheater， a hedonist！） but still someone we rooted for。 The Colombo of the living is overlaid with the one filled with ghosts。 While it's depressing to think about how many died during the civil war， the absurdist afterlife world， with all its queueing and administrative work （with a 42nd floor！）， adds some levity to an otherwise dark subject。 I don’t want to go too much into the plot points， but one of the central themes I found was of witnessing and forgetting。 Maali captured death and corruption through his lens。 He doesn’t want his unseen work to die with him， thinking that if others see the horrors he recorded the war will stop。 We know the fallacy of that thought， we live with a constant media stream of horrors and they just continue。 But he still tried。 As the book says， “it’s not for nothing”。 。。。more
Arun
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What a spectacular piece of political fiction ， The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida， is。 Shehan Karunatilaka’s second novel which is on the Booker Longlist， serves up a rich story which is a crime whodunnit， a sunny dark comedy， and a deeply philosophical and contemplative meditation on the meaning of life， the relevance of each creature’s death， and what the afterlife may bring。 While outwardly denying the primacy of （any） religion， Karunatilaka’s perspective is a decidedly Asian one which is info What a spectacular piece of political fiction ， The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida， is。 Shehan Karunatilaka’s second novel which is on the Booker Longlist， serves up a rich story which is a crime whodunnit， a sunny dark comedy， and a deeply philosophical and contemplative meditation on the meaning of life， the relevance of each creature’s death， and what the afterlife may bring。 While outwardly denying the primacy of （any） religion， Karunatilaka’s perspective is a decidedly Asian one which is informed by Buddhist and Hindu concepts of reincarnation， compassion， and forgiveness。 And this is a deeply political book which takes place in the Sri Lanka of 1990， after the government sponsored anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983 which resulted in the decades long Sri Lankan civil war。 The story begins with the soul of newly deceased war journalist ， Maali Almeida， entering a surprisingly bureaucratic afterlife in which he learns he has seven moons （ nights， not months） in which to decide whether to enter an unknown afterlife called The Light or else wander the In Between - a sort of Limbo where ghosts roam as well as demons， pretas （“Hungry Ghosts’）， and a soul devouring monster called the Mahakali （ a Buddhist demon derived from the Hindu goddess Kali） which can devour his soul after the seven moons are past。 Inflicted with a short term amnesia， Maali chooses to use this time to search for the identity of his killer。 Along the way he observes the lives of his best friend， Jaki （ who’s romantic affections for him were unrequited）， his male lover - the closeted DD， his estranged mother， as well as a host of unsavory politicians， Tamil Tigers， Sinhalese military officials。 Through his chats with a range of ghosts and demons， including a vengeful ghost named Sena who is gathering an army of souls to wreak vengeance upon the living who killed them， Malli strives to make sense of the seeming futility of living as an imperfect human in an even more imperfect world。 He also strives to find a way to use his photos - which incriminate everyone from high government ministers to the IPKF （Indian “Peacekeeping” Forces which led a brutal war against the Tigers in the North） to British spies to the Tigers - to document the tragic deaths of Sri Lankan Tamils and Socialists and serve justice。 His wry self deprecating humor makes the descriptions of these deaths and massacres bearable。 Karunatilaka writes beautifully spinning out a tale which offers both judgement and the hope for redemption。 His story references South Asian folktales and mythology， Buddhist philosophy， and Western existentialism。 But it is never pedantic and often is very very funny。 This is a strong contender for the Booker Prize。 Indeed I personally thought last year’s winner should have been his fellow Lankan Anud Arudpragasam’s Journey North。 If I have any reservations about this book it is the extent to which words derived from Sanskrit， Pali， Sinhala， and Tamil are used。 A glossary might have helped non South Asian readers。 I give it five stars plus plus plus。 。。。more
Jared Ellingsen
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I really loved this book。 I’ve had a bit of an off streak with a lot of books that I just thought were ok。 Before this showed up on the long list I was completely unfamiliar， but is a perfect example of why I love following the Booker Prize。 I really hope this makes the shortlist and in my opinion would be an incredibly worthy winner。
Bob Hughes
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Although I got a bit lost in the middle of this， the final 50 pages left me breathless with their excellence。
Robert
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