Fiction

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

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  • Create Date：2022-07-27 07:51:31
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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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。

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Reviews

Naleendra Weerapitiya ，

After reading Chinaman， there was no way that I'd pass Chats with the dead。 However it took longer than it should've for me to start on it。 "At Borella junction， a woman in white walks the edge of your periphery and disappears when you focus; a demon toddler squats in a corner and hisses at the young girls waiting for buses; a cloven-hoofed ghoul stands at the headlights looking for a motorcyclist to impale。 It appears that too many in Colombo have died unwillingly and too few are ready to leav After reading Chinaman， there was no way that I'd pass Chats with the dead。 However it took longer than it should've for me to start on it。 "At Borella junction， a woman in white walks the edge of your periphery and disappears when you focus; a demon toddler squats in a corner and hisses at the young girls waiting for buses; a cloven-hoofed ghoul stands at the headlights looking for a motorcyclist to impale。 It appears that too many in Colombo have died unwillingly and too few are ready to leave" Shehan Karunatilaka （SK） has opted for a loose styled narration， broadly enclosed in eight sections - one each for seven moons， and then one for "The Light"。 These seven moons could be thought of as the duration of the immediate seven days upon the passing of a person， for the protagonist is dead （ and the chats are his， with other persons that he meets， "there" ）， and he spends these days in the in-between; in limbo; undecided。 It is clear that SK has put local Buddhist beliefs to very good use， to come with this fiction， with the whole host of mythical after life beings beings parading within the story （ pretas， ghouls， undecided spirits， those who find their time has elapsed etc。）。 I am not aware of any book that has used these rich mythical stand points to such literary use even in the vernacular （although I could be mistaken on this regard）， and this is a good area for new vernacular fiction。 SK's writing is colorful， enriched with generous use of vernacular expletives to give the book a natural setting， although an international reader would need some assistance here， to glean the most from this book。 Its flow is with darting off like tendency to digress， but returns to its origin soon。 Its amazing wit will keep you entertained - this is the main characteristic of SK no doubt， as he used so successfully in Chinaman。 Here's an excerpt: "'I'll talk to the big boss，' says Kottu。'Can't break the laws when doing murders， no？'" The sad part is， the above quote is more inclined towards truth in our corrupt society， than towards sounding oxymoronic。 All dialogues carry the everyday Sri Lankan English dialect， which too attract it to the local readers， for one can even picture the highest society carrying on with such use of the language。At over 400 pages， an editor could've made it an ever better book， with 30-50 pages less （I run the risk of being pedantic， by suggesting so）。For those who are aware of the dark gory 80s， it is clear that the protagonist is a remodeling of a much loved media personality， an activist who transcended the language barrier between the vernacular， and the much awed English speaking society。 Some of the other characters could be imagined from their real life roles， as enough snippets have been dropped。 All these make it a good political revelation of sorts， although the author has fictionalized it to such a degree， that any attempts at concrete pronouncements would be imprudent。All in all， this is not a book that English fiction readers from Sri Lanka should miss out on。 It takes swipes at our collective faults， almost emanates the stench of the political hell hole which we still suffer from more than 30 years later to the times referred in this book （ and collectively pay a heavy price at present）， and wit that makes us laugh as well as take a closer cynical look at ourselves。 I just hope that at some point it carries references for it be more accessible to an international readership （maybe that's already underway if the title of his next announced book is anything to go by。） Plus， it is interspersed with enough philosophical garnish， which end up being more than just that。 The beauty is that it doesn't influence the taste of the overall "dish" too much。 I have very little to complain about this book， although a comparison with Chinaman may see this a few steps behind， more so due to the political weight that this carries （ I feel）。Rating: **** 。。。more

Nadila ，

'This island has always been connected。 We traded spices， gems， and slaves with Rome and Persia long before history books were invented。 Look at today。 The rich send their kids to London， the poor send their wives to Saudi。 European paedophiles sun on our beacher， Canadian refugees fund our terror， Israeli tanks kill our young and Japanese salt poisons our food。' Shehan Karunatilaka has a unique talent of documenting history through fiction， tragedy through adventure， and humanity through charact 'This island has always been connected。 We traded spices， gems， and slaves with Rome and Persia long before history books were invented。 Look at today。 The rich send their kids to London， the poor send their wives to Saudi。 European paedophiles sun on our beacher， Canadian refugees fund our terror， Israeli tanks kill our young and Japanese salt poisons our food。' Shehan Karunatilaka has a unique talent of documenting history through fiction， tragedy through adventure， and humanity through characters。 He demonstrated it with his maiden book， Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew， and now he has done it again。 Chats with the Dead is another chapter of the tragedy of a nation。 。。。more

Girish ，

"Do not be afraid of ghosts， it is the living we should fear。 Human horrors trump anything that Hollywood or the afterlife can conjure""Karma is worse than any bullshit god。 It tells us to do nothing about the suffering of others"What a haunting yarn （excuse the pun） this book is！ The author does it again - the subtext standing out loud and clear in a seemingly crazy story - almost Hellerish。 Talk about tangential！ Malinda Albert Kabalana - Photographer， Gambler and Slut - finds himself in the b "Do not be afraid of ghosts， it is the living we should fear。 Human horrors trump anything that Hollywood or the afterlife can conjure""Karma is worse than any bullshit god。 It tells us to do nothing about the suffering of others"What a haunting yarn （excuse the pun） this book is！ The author does it again - the subtext standing out loud and clear in a seemingly crazy story - almost Hellerish。 Talk about tangential！ Malinda Albert Kabalana - Photographer， Gambler and Slut - finds himself in the bureaucratic lounge of afterlife where unresponsive executives give confusing directions。 As his ghost wanders wherever his name is mentioned or his body is getting disposed off - Mali is trying to find his murderer。 One small complication - in life， he was a war photographer who worked with all merchants of horror and murderers。 He was also a compulsive gambler and an unfaithful partner to both his boyfriend and his best friend。The book is graphic in it's treatment sparing no details of the human cruelty of genocide and war - all slipped in between dark humor and leaps of imagination of the afterlife inspired by scriptures。 In one of the short chapters he creates a cheat-sheet for an outsider to make sense of the political scenario to an American journalist - "Don't try to look for the good guys cause there ain't none" The subtle twists towards the end is just an appeaser and a lot of wishful thinking。 The book is no joyride but a not-so-subtle hardhitting piece that happens to be clever and witty。 Funny and heartbreaking at the same time。 。。。more

Naren ，

Took awhile to get into it but the latter part of the book was really strong。 Crazy to think how much suffering and carnage went on in Sri Lanka in the 80's and 90's when I was growing up。 Took awhile to get into it but the latter part of the book was really strong。 Crazy to think how much suffering and carnage went on in Sri Lanka in the 80's and 90's when I was growing up。 。。。more

Devangana ，

Chats with the dead by Shehan Karunatilaka。 A darkly-comic， gory satire on a country ravaged by civil war。 Set in Sri Lanka in the 1980s amidst well documented historical and political events。 Malinda Almeida is a gambler， a promiscuous self-proclaimed war photographer and， most shockingly he’s dead。 Now， he has to solve his own brutal murder from beyond the grave， but the ghost folks are soo chatty and， even in the after-life there is the trademark South Asian red tape to deal with。 Shehan Karu Chats with the dead by Shehan Karunatilaka。 A darkly-comic， gory satire on a country ravaged by civil war。 Set in Sri Lanka in the 1980s amidst well documented historical and political events。 Malinda Almeida is a gambler， a promiscuous self-proclaimed war photographer and， most shockingly he’s dead。 Now， he has to solve his own brutal murder from beyond the grave， but the ghost folks are soo chatty and， even in the after-life there is the trademark South Asian red tape to deal with。 Shehan Karunatilaka traverses between the world of the living， the dead and the in-between。 He takes you to a place inhabited by ghosts and ghouls wallowing in retribution and introspection。 It’s an explosive （pun intended） piece of literature， nothing like anything I’ve ever read before。 A glimpse of perhaps， the bloodiest period of Sri Lankan history。 The writing is snarky， witty， gruesome and fast-paced with philosophical musings and ethical dilemmas。 It’s a must read！！！ Trigger warning - violence， execution， bombing https://www。instagram。com/p/CZ6TRxaPt。。。 。。。more

Sujatha ，

A book that was engrossing from the word go。。 shehan has managed to keep it a focussed storyline even in the midst of myriad characters， not in this world alone but in the other one too。 An unusual story which can provide answers to those who are seeking。。 its not the dead that will haunt you in the end its the living amongst us。。

Suhas Cadambi ，

Ordinarily I would have rated this a solid four stars， but I'm bumping it up to five purely for good cause。 Karunatilaka's is such a unique， vital voice which sets him apart from most English-fiction writers from the subcontinent， you feel he should be celebrated， even emulated， more （among his contemporaries， Mohammad Hanif probably comes closest in terms of approach， though I rate the quality of Shehan's output higher）。 The cricket-themed Chinaman was （deservedly） a crossover hit， garnering hi Ordinarily I would have rated this a solid four stars， but I'm bumping it up to five purely for good cause。 Karunatilaka's is such a unique， vital voice which sets him apart from most English-fiction writers from the subcontinent， you feel he should be celebrated， even emulated， more （among his contemporaries， Mohammad Hanif probably comes closest in terms of approach， though I rate the quality of Shehan's output higher）。 The cricket-themed Chinaman was （deservedly） a crossover hit， garnering him a readership overseas and among an audience not necessarily into cricket。 I'm more than a little surprised then， that his second novel - ostensibly more accessible than Chinaman - barely seems to have caused a ripple。 I can't recall any reader in my circle who gushed about the earlier book saying a word about this one。 Perhaps this is down to the fact that he took ten years to come out with it， or that it was released on the eve of the worldwide pandemic。 Which is a shame in my view， because Karunatilaka has pulled off the "difficult second album" very well， which ought to safeguard him against the one-hit wonder tag。On to the the book itself， the story of the ghost of a murdered photographer killed in mysterious circumstances， out to solve his own murder。 Once again centered around a quest of sorts， and a more than worthwhile read if not a stone-cold classic。 Quite a few of the features of Chinaman which made it so enjoyable are here too; his trademark wit and humour， allusions to real-life Lankan events and characters， and an absurdist view of the world around him （the depiction of the underworld or dead zone as a comically bureaucratic one， is pure Karunatilaka）。 Like its predecessor， it comes across as unapologetically local。Yet， there is much to set this book apart on its own terms。 For starters， it straddles the world of the living and dead， successfully so。 Where Chinaman was long and rambling， this one is compact and progresses fairly quickly （almost a reaction， you feel）。 No cricket whatsoever this time， though alert readers will notice a couple of characters from the Pradeep Mathew Universe who make an appearance - perhaps a little Thank You to the legacy readership from the author。 The Civil War and Lankan identity politics， far from being a backdrop， are in-your-face and integral to the story。 The interpersonal relationships， while not as fully developed as in Chinaman， are no less complex （what must it have been like to be gay in Sri Lanka in the 1980s？）。 Chats with the Dead is the Rangana Herath to Chinaman's Muttiah Muralitharan - apologies if that went over your head， though it’s a sentiment I think Shehan would appreciate。 Read it to experience a one-of-a-kind author in complete control of his craft。 。。。more

Rich ，

Essential reading for all Sri Lankans！ As close as it comes to an exploration of the depravity of the country leading up to the late 80's。 Essential reading for all Sri Lankans！ As close as it comes to an exploration of the depravity of the country leading up to the late 80's。 。。。more

Daivat ，

The second book by Karunatilaka definitely does not disappoint。 Its much more serious in its subject matter， and its humor is more gory， brutal and explosive。 Tightly linked with war， politics and everything in between in Sri Lanka， he manages to create a decent whodunnit。Its not the murder that engaged me the most， honestly。 At times I found it meandering and dealing with too many subjects that it left behind on its wake - quite like ghosts who don't reach The Light。But its funny and philosophi The second book by Karunatilaka definitely does not disappoint。 Its much more serious in its subject matter， and its humor is more gory， brutal and explosive。 Tightly linked with war， politics and everything in between in Sri Lanka， he manages to create a decent whodunnit。Its not the murder that engaged me the most， honestly。 At times I found it meandering and dealing with too many subjects that it left behind on its wake - quite like ghosts who don't reach The Light。But its funny and philosophical in the right amounts。 Definitely shocking。 。。。more

Akshay ，

Probably one of the best books I've ever read。 Breezy， intense and effortlessly supernatural whodunit that at the same time， is anything but simple。 Each page has at least three pithy one-liners that teenagers might borrow for their dorm rooms and motivated adults might highlight on their Kindle and save。I randomly opened a page now and found - "The island has always been connected。 We traded spices， gems and slaves with Rome 。。。（now） The rich send their kids to London， the poor send their wives Probably one of the best books I've ever read。 Breezy， intense and effortlessly supernatural whodunit that at the same time， is anything but simple。 Each page has at least three pithy one-liners that teenagers might borrow for their dorm rooms and motivated adults might highlight on their Kindle and save。I randomly opened a page now and found - "The island has always been connected。 We traded spices， gems and slaves with Rome 。。。（now） The rich send their kids to London， the poor send their wives to Saudi。" And another - "You look down at this spectacle and wonder， not for the first time why there has to be anything， when we'd be all be better off， if there had been nothing at all"Not once does Shehan assume that you do not know Colombo and it's outskirts or that you don't understand Sinhala fill-in words and abuses - he describes mundane things with as much detail as important story elements， and gives you a history lesson while going through it all （not just about Sri Lanka: did you know 0。5 - 1 million Indonesians were killed in 1965？ A Mahakaali ghost sitting atop a torture tower tells the protagonist this， or thereabouts）。I think this is the least pretentious book I've read， even though the whole story is about an idealistic （cynically so） homosexual war photographer who is a suspected Communist。 Actually it's about his ghost。Disclaimer: I've been extremely suspicious of white and other Indian tourists telling me how everyone is so "nice" on the Island， while at the same time Wikipedia tells you that a Buddhist-majority country has seen >1，00，000 die in war and several million flee permanently。 I was looking for a book that will "give me the real Sri Lanka， I already know it's somewhat like India but not really"， and it did just that。 If this is not you， you might find the book tedious and overwhelming。 But do yourself a favour and become curious about Lanka in a non-tourist way and read the book。 Maybe you can imagine Sri Lanka is Italy or something。 。。。more

Denom ，

Probably the best book i've ever read！ <3 Probably the best book i've ever read！ <3 。。。more

David Van Eyck ，

I love the style。 Even more Gonzo than Chinaman and this in the afterlife too。 Very very clever of Karunatilaka to set it there。 Can one sue a ghost？ My first impression was， this alienates him from the general non-Sri Lankan reader， then， after some discussion in my family， I realised that I've read books that retold the histories of other people without ever having set foot there， and loved what I learned。 It was up to me to do the research and clarify what I wanted to know more about。 This bo I love the style。 Even more Gonzo than Chinaman and this in the afterlife too。 Very very clever of Karunatilaka to set it there。 Can one sue a ghost？ My first impression was， this alienates him from the general non-Sri Lankan reader， then， after some discussion in my family， I realised that I've read books that retold the histories of other people without ever having set foot there， and loved what I learned。 It was up to me to do the research and clarify what I wanted to know more about。 This book is so saucy that I'm sure readers from Norway to Nicaragua will do just that！ Or take it at face value！ Well worth it！ All this praise and I'm not even a hundred pages into it！Having finished it I'll say this。 It is a fascinating premise to start with but can get confusing。 It evoked memories of those late 80s and early 90s days。 For many Sri Lankan's '83 was a watershed。 。。。more

Akila Weeratunga ，

This is a pretty well written book， and though the plot might not be suspenseful nor adventurous like some other novels ， this has a more flowing and kind of unique plot 。 Also worth noting that if the reader is Sri lankan and aware of Sri lankan history， then this book will be more relatable to the reader ， the book has an interesting set of characters， most belonging to Sri lankan upper class（ and have same sex attractions） also the book provides insights into life after death which gives this This is a pretty well written book， and though the plot might not be suspenseful nor adventurous like some other novels ， this has a more flowing and kind of unique plot 。 Also worth noting that if the reader is Sri lankan and aware of Sri lankan history， then this book will be more relatable to the reader ， the book has an interesting set of characters， most belonging to Sri lankan upper class（ and have same sex attractions） also the book provides insights into life after death which gives this book a pondering quality ， although the subject matter was thankfully dealt in a light hearted manner which makes the read enjoyable 。 Would recommend this book 。。。more

Janith Leanage ，

I have been fascinated with Sri Lanka in the 80s。 It was， in my reading， a bookend in history， ending the bell-bottomed idealism 60s and 70s， and dawning Sri Lanka into the horrors of war and insurrection。。。 a history that would grow even more violent well into the 90s and 00s。 What little scraps I could find of its written history I would mop up， because these things were never taught at school and never discussed by the elders （who'd much rather forget）。While Maali （and his privileged set of f I have been fascinated with Sri Lanka in the 80s。 It was， in my reading， a bookend in history， ending the bell-bottomed idealism 60s and 70s， and dawning Sri Lanka into the horrors of war and insurrection。。。 a history that would grow even more violent well into the 90s and 00s。 What little scraps I could find of its written history I would mop up， because these things were never taught at school and never discussed by the elders （who'd much rather forget）。While Maali （and his privileged set of friends） is the canvas through which we explore this reality， it is really a story of all that we lost; the young family that mourns their murdered university lecturer/human rights advocate mother， the families that left everything behind and ran-and still didn't make it， the thousands of kids who disappeared overnight because their political leanings were suspect。Chats with the Dead is a start of a conversation that Sri Lanka has to have regarding its past。 It has been 30+ years since the brutal end of the Second JVP Insurrection， and books like these and films like Visakesa Chandrasekaram's Paangshu serve as an important bridge that passes on these lessons （and the fact that justice was never done） to a younger generation。P。S。 I have been a fan of Shehan's since Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew， and I think this is a worthy successor。 Other than touching on conflict and race relations though， I think the books have little in common， and that's a good thing。 Chats with the Dead should be judged on its own merits as a standalone book。 。。。more

Reema Prabhat ，

good book。

Ravindu Piyapema ，

A true masterpiece！

Divya Pal Singh ，

An engrossing introduction to dying and after-life – thanatology， to be precise。 Purgatory appears to be an arena for spectral politics and ghostly power struggles and also a bureaucratic maze - carried over from "Down There"。It is also a sad testament of a once idyllic and sylvan country torn apart by civil war， torture and cruelty that is beyond conception。 Opportunists like the Indian Army， a gaggle of parasitic arm-dealers of various hues， venal politicians， corrupt policemen， a miscellany o An engrossing introduction to dying and after-life – thanatology， to be precise。 Purgatory appears to be an arena for spectral politics and ghostly power struggles and also a bureaucratic maze - carried over from "Down There"。It is also a sad testament of a once idyllic and sylvan country torn apart by civil war， torture and cruelty that is beyond conception。 Opportunists like the Indian Army， a gaggle of parasitic arm-dealers of various hues， venal politicians， corrupt policemen， a miscellany of shady self-styled rebel leaders all have their greedy fingers in the pie of this once nacreous island。The evocative text brings out the futility and ferocity of the never-ending war。 The book is also a biting indictment of his countrymen:Like many Sri Lankans， pangolins have big tongues， thick hides and small brains。 They pick on ants， rats and anything smaller than them。 They hide in terror when faced with bullies and get up to mischief when the lights are out。 They are hundreds of thousands of years old and are plodding towards extinction。An irritating lack of glossary and in-your-face homosexuality turned me off。 。。。more

Sha Danthanarayana ，

Chinaman කෘතිය හරහා ලාංකිකයන් මෙන්ම දකුණු ආසියාතික පාඨකයන් අතරේ කතාබහට ලක්වූ ශෙහාන් කරුණාතිලක වසර දහයක නිහැඬියාවකින් පසු එළි දක්වනලද නවතම නවකතාව Chats with the Dead ලෙස නම් කර ඇත。 නමේ හැටියටම මෙහි අඩංගු වන්නේ මළවුන් සමග මළගිය ඇත්තෙක් සිදු කරනා සංවාද සහ ප්‍රවාදයන්ය。 නවකතාවට පසුබිම් වී ඇත්තේ ලංකාවේ අඳුරු කාලපරිච්ඡේදයක සිදුවූ අභව්‍යය ක්‍රියාදාමයන් එකතුවක සාක්ෂිකාරයන්ගේ මතකයන්ය。 කෘතියේ ප්‍රධාන චරිතය වෙනුවෙන් සමලිංගික， සූදු අන්තුවෙක් වන ඡායාරූප ශිල්පියෙකි。 අපිට මෙම කතානායකයා සිංහල නවකතාකින් මින් පෙර Chinaman කෘතිය හරහා ලාංකිකයන් මෙන්ම දකුණු ආසියාතික පාඨකයන් අතරේ කතාබහට ලක්වූ ශෙහාන් කරුණාතිලක වසර දහයක නිහැඬියාවකින් පසු එළි දක්වනලද නවතම නවකතාව Chats with the Dead ලෙස නම් කර ඇත。 නමේ හැටියටම මෙහි අඩංගු වන්නේ මළවුන් සමග මළගිය ඇත්තෙක් සිදු කරනා සංවාද සහ ප්‍රවාදයන්ය。 නවකතාවට පසුබිම් වී ඇත්තේ ලංකාවේ අඳුරු කාලපරිච්ඡේදයක සිදුවූ අභව්‍යය ක්‍රියාදාමයන් එකතුවක සාක්ෂිකාරයන්ගේ මතකයන්ය。 කෘතියේ ප්‍රධාන චරිතය වෙනුවෙන් සමලිංගික， සූදු අන්තුවෙක් වන ඡායාරූප ශිල්පියෙකි。 අපිට මෙම කතානායකයා සිංහල නවකතාකින් මින් පෙර හමුවී ඇති මාලන් ඇල්බර්ට් කබලාන යන නාමය දරන්නෙකි。 මින් පෙර මාලන් කබලානගේ රූපය ලෙස යුගාන්තයේ අප හැඳින සිටි රිචර්ඩ් ද සොයිසා ගේ රූපයෙන් මේ අලුත් මාලන් කබලාන පාඨකයාගේ මනසේ නිර්මාණය වීම නිරායාසයෙන්ම සිදුවේ。 චයිනමන් හි අප දුටු ශෙහාන්ගේ ශෛලියම මේ කෘතිය පුරාම අපට දැකගන්න ලැබෙනවා。 කතානයකයාට හමුවන විවිධ විශම චරිත රාශියක්， උපහාසය මුසු වූ කතාබහ， මුල මැද අග කතාවෙහි ඇති පැටලුම් වැනි දේ මෙහිදීද අපට හමුවෙනාවා。 නමුත් Chats with the Dead හි එක් පුද්ගල චරිතයක අත්දැකීම් ඔස්සේ භීෂණ සමයේ පැවති සාමාජීය විකෘතිය， දේශපාලකයාගේ අධම ක්‍රියාවන්， තස්ත්‍රවාදයේ සහ විප්ලවයේ බල අරගලයන්， විදෙස් රටවල බල්පෑම් වැනි සියල්ල පිළිඹිබු කිරීමට කතුවරයා ඔහුගේ නිර්මාණකරනයේ ශක්‍යතාවය මෙහෙයවා තිබෙනවා。 මෙහි චරිත බොහොමයක් එවක ලංකාවේ සිටි සැබෑම චරිත පාදක කරගෙන නිමවා ඇති නිසා පාඨකයාට අතීතයේ සිදුවූ සිදුවීම් සමග නවකතාවේ සිදුවීම් ගලපා ගනිමින් විකල්ප ඉතිහාසයක අත්දැකීම් ලබා ගැනීමටද අවස්ථාවක් විවර වී තිබෙනවා。 කතුවරයා ගොඩනගා ඇති සමහර සිදුවීම් තුලින් ඉතාම සියුම් ආකාරයට ඉතිහාසයේ සමහර සිදුවීම් ප්‍රශ්ණ කිරීම්වලට ලක් කර තිබෙනවා。 උදාහරණයක් ලෙස මියගිය ජවිපෙ සාමාජිකයෙක් වූ සේන විසින් ඔහුගේ ඝාතකයන් දෙදෙනාගෙන් පළි ගැනීම උදෙසා සිදු කරන ලද ක්‍රියාවකින් සිවිල් වැසියන් තිදෙනෙක්ද ඝාතනය වීම එවැනි එක් අවස්ථාවකි。 මෙයින් ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණ එසමයෙහි හැසිරුණු ආකාරය වක්‍රාකාරයෙන් නිරූපණය කර තිබෙනවා。 කෘතිය පුරාම මේ ආකාරයෙන් ගොඩනැගූ සිදුවීම් රාශියක් හමුවනවා。 Chinaman සහ මෙය සැසදීමේදී දැකිය හැකි ප්‍රධානම ලක්ෂණය මෙම කෘතිය ලංකාවේ පාඨකයන් වැඩි වශයෙන් ඉලක්ක කර රචනා වී තිබිමයි。 චයිනමන් මෙන් නොව ඉන්දියානු පාඨකයන්ට මෙය තේරුම් ගැනීමට අපහසුවනවා ඇත。 නමුත් ලාංකික පාඨකයන්ට අඳුරු දශකයක මතකය නැවත සිහි කැඳවන මතක සටහනක් ලෙස මෙය හැදින්විය හැක。 。。。more

Ramya Ramani ，

Set against the backdrop of the early years of the Sri Lankan civil war， Karunatilaka crafts a story that falls somewhere in the Ghost（Patrick Swayze） - M。A。S。H spectrum。 Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking。3。5 stars。

Raisa ，

Chats with the Dead is a book 10 years in the making。 In Shehan Karunatilaka's second novel， we meet Malinda Kabalana， self-proclaimed photographer， gambler， and slut。 Malinda is trying to solve the mystery of his own murder。 It's 1989， and Sri Lanka is fighting battles on multiple fronts。 In the North， the Indian Peacekeeping Force is keeping the peace by sowing discord， the LTTE is killing in the East and the Government is hunting down suspected JVP insurgents in the South。 It's all very confu Chats with the Dead is a book 10 years in the making。 In Shehan Karunatilaka's second novel， we meet Malinda Kabalana， self-proclaimed photographer， gambler， and slut。 Malinda is trying to solve the mystery of his own murder。 It's 1989， and Sri Lanka is fighting battles on multiple fronts。 In the North， the Indian Peacekeeping Force is keeping the peace by sowing discord， the LTTE is killing in the East and the Government is hunting down suspected JVP insurgents in the South。 It's all very confusing to an outsider， but Malinda breaks it down quite easily， tongue-firmly-in-cheek， to a parachuting American journalist。 Malinda's voice was one of the most enjoyable parts of this book for me; the protagonist is sceptical and irreverent。 At one point， a character pouts that he won't stay if he's not needed - that if Malinda wants his help， he'll have to ask for it。 Pat comes the response， "You sound like the UN。"It's clear that there's been a lot of research poured into this book。 Those living in or studying Sri Lanka will find some of the people and places familiar， even if the names are ever-so-slightly different。 Equally， there's a lot of imagination and research behind the sketching out of the demons， ghosts and ghouls that populate this book。As a photographer， Malinda documents the things people don't want to see。 He himself has seen ugliness on all sides， and so doesn't mince his words with anyone - himself included。 There are no heroes in this story。 And this is reminiscent perhaps of Karunatilaka's first novel， Chinaman， featuring a booze-swilling journalist。 Malinda is not a particularly likeable protagonist; nor is Karunasena in Chinaman。 And yet， like Karunasena， he is relatable。 If you watch Bojack Horseman， you'll know the trope - the self-aware asshole。 When I first read Chinaman I did feel that sense of familiarity。 Karunasena is the uncle we all know who tries to solve the problems of the country at the dinner table， with a glass of Scotch （or gal arrack） at his elbow。 There were parts that were funny too， but （perhaps because by that point I was becoming increasingly disillusioned with our cricket team's lacklustre performance） I felt something was lacking。 In comparison， I'd say Chats with the dead is a progression。 It was in turns funny， dark （think Han Kang's "Human Acts" dark） and poignant。 I did feel （like Chinaman） that it read a bit long - I was conscious of the length of the story in the middle and I felt my attention flagging。 To be fair， some of this can perhaps be attributed to my own increasing inability to focus my attention on long reads。 However， the characters and the world Karunatilaka sketched out was interesting enough for me to persevere。 I recommend， particularly if you're interested in Sri Lanka and what makes it tick。 。。。more

Nilu ，

Somewhere in the late 80’s Malinda Albert Almeida-Kabalana is brutally murdered。 He was a photojournalist who did work for all sides。 The government， the terrorists， the foreign agents， and anyone else who needed him as a ‘fixer’。In the aftermath ， Malinda’s ghost tries to find his killer and avenge his untimely death。 On that premise we enter the absurd fever dream of Shehan’s latest novel。 The protagonist’s name is borrowed from a character appearing in a Martin Wickremasinghe novel。 However ， Somewhere in the late 80’s Malinda Albert Almeida-Kabalana is brutally murdered。 He was a photojournalist who did work for all sides。 The government， the terrorists， the foreign agents， and anyone else who needed him as a ‘fixer’。In the aftermath ， Malinda’s ghost tries to find his killer and avenge his untimely death。 On that premise we enter the absurd fever dream of Shehan’s latest novel。 The protagonist’s name is borrowed from a character appearing in a Martin Wickremasinghe novel。 However ， the image of the said protagonist will be of the late Richard de Zoysa who played that character in its film adaptation。 In fact one would assume that Shehan is paying some sort of a homage to Richard who was abducted and brutally murdered in the early 90’s。 If you’re a Sri Lankan who lived through the atrocities of ‘71， ‘83 ， ‘88 and ‘89， you’ll encounter some familiar characters and situations throughout the book。 Shehan narrates the tale in a no holds barred fashion which prompted me to hide the book at meal times。 The first few chapters were positively nauseating。You will recall every horrible thing you witnessed with your own eyes ， or on tv during the ‘88-‘89 era。 You’ll recall every snapshot of massacres that occurred in SL during the 70’s and 80’s。That’s just from the description of photos taken by our quirky protagonist。Malinda’s friends and his mother are guided by the ghosts to seek justice for his disappearance。 Another bunch of interested parties （famous politicians， heads of elite forces， members of N。G。Os， staff of foreign embassies and media） tries to thwart their endeavors。 Shehan has brilliantly interwoven politics， philosophy and his inimitable sense of dark humor to bring this story to life （so to speak）。There are moments of deep despair peppered with laugh out loud quips。The last time I was devastated by a ghost was when I watched Casey Affleck’s character going through lifetimes in ‘Ghost Story’。At the end of the novel Malinda’s ghost had the same effect on me。 Kudos to Shehan for this absolutely unusual piece of work that encapsulates the corrupted socio political environment of Sri Lanka ， the shameless interferences of the internal affairs by foreign nations， and the philosophical look at life ， death and afterlife ！This was one hell of a reading experience！ 。。。more

Gopa Thampi ，

“I could a tale unfold whose lightest wordWould harrow up thy soul， freeze thy young blood，Make thy two eyes， like stars， start from their spheres，Thy knotted and combined locks to partAnd each particular hair to stand on end，Like quills upon the fearful porpentine。But this eternal blazon must not beTo ears of flesh and blood”。 – Hamlet， Act 1， Scene 5Shehan Karunatilaka spares us mortals no such magnanimity。 His fictional ghosts whisk us away into a dizzying world of riots， retribution， redempt “I could a tale unfold whose lightest wordWould harrow up thy soul， freeze thy young blood，Make thy two eyes， like stars， start from their spheres，Thy knotted and combined locks to partAnd each particular hair to stand on end，Like quills upon the fearful porpentine。But this eternal blazon must not beTo ears of flesh and blood”。 – Hamlet， Act 1， Scene 5Shehan Karunatilaka spares us mortals no such magnanimity。 His fictional ghosts whisk us away into a dizzying world of riots， retribution， redemption， reflection and revelry。 An ethereal territory marked by acts of deceit， lust， treachery， camaraderie and intrigue。 Here morals are blurred and the profane and the profound coexist as conjoined twins。 Unlike the ghosts who inhabit the margins in Shakespeare’s plays， in Chats with the Dead， these apparitions are right at the kernel of the story – trespassing spaces and transgressing timeframes with delightful impunity， giving the narrative a sense of raw edginess。 Set against the backdrop when Sri Lanka was caught in perhaps the bloodiest moments of a protracted conflict， the book is rooted in well documented historical and political events。 And as in any narrative of this nature， fact and fiction fuse to weave a complex but compelling tapestry。 Chats with the Dead is hailed as a ‘classic whodunit with a brilliant twist’。 I suspect it is much more than that。 Beneath that breathless posturing as a crime thriller with a twist， Chats with the Dead is a pensive reflection on the tragedy of a nation that embraces tranquility and turmoil in equal measure。 I suspect beyond that playful tone， those incredibly funny one-liners and the irreverent caricaturing of well recognizable and thinly disguised personalities， lies a passionate engagement between the writer and his terrain。Karunatilaka’s writing is energetic， playful， and fast paced。 While he is generally economical and terse in his wordsmithery， Karunatilaka can be deeply empathetic and reflective。 He is quite at ease in sketching tender moments of love and longing and in scorching our dreams with shrapnel of violence and destruction。 This is a writer whose verbal dexterity is complemented by a delightfully subversive imagination and a large heart。 Alberto Manguel makes the following observation in his History of Reading: The relationship between a reader and a book is one that eliminates the barriers of time and space and allows for what Francisco de Quevedo， in the sixteenth century， called “conversations with the dead。” In those conversations I’m revealed。 They shape me and lend me a certain magical power。 In Chats with the Dead， all such barriers of time and space are conflated， blurred and erased。 The past easily morphs into the present。 Karunatilaka’s ghosts continue to haunt contemporary Sri Lanka with as much prescience and relevance as they did in the 80s and 90s。 And， in these chats with the dead， I too am revealed。 The tranquil lake， the bustling streets， the casinos， the sleazy bars， the huddled shanties and the sprawling mansions whisper their dark secrets to me now。 A republic of ghosts marching out of a nation's tormented soul。 I confess – I am possessed。 。。。more

Rossana Karunaratna ，

Karunatilaka takes his readers to unexpected journeys。 It happened with Chinaman and now with this book。 Do you have to be familiar with Sri Lanka to connect with the story？ Would say yes， to understand terms， places， local stories and more。。。but readers will say。 Wonder how many ghosts may agree with me！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0