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The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022

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  • Create Date：2022-08-26 06:52:24
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Shehan Karunatilaka
  • ISBN：191450206X
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Summary

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2022

A searing satire set amid the murderous mayhem of Sri Lanka beset by civil war

Colombo， 1990。 Maali Almeida， war photographer， gambler and closet gay， 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。 At a time 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， Karunatilaka is back with a rip-roaring epic， full of mordant wit and disturbing truths。

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Reviews

Bob Hughes ，

Although I got a bit lost in the middle of this， the final 50 pages left me breathless with their excellence。

Robert ，

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida has an interesting premise: A photographer dies and has seven moons to discover how he died and to guide his friends on Earth to uncover a stack of photos which will expose the brutalities of his country。 The setting: Sri Lanka during the civil war。 a bloody and terrifying moment in history。With a plot like this Shehan Karunatilaka， shows the reader all the problems with Sri Lanka: Police corruption， religious intolerance， gang violence， the savagery of hired kil The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida has an interesting premise: A photographer dies and has seven moons to discover how he died and to guide his friends on Earth to uncover a stack of photos which will expose the brutalities of his country。 The setting: Sri Lanka during the civil war。 a bloody and terrifying moment in history。With a plot like this Shehan Karunatilaka， shows the reader all the problems with Sri Lanka: Police corruption， religious intolerance， gang violence， the savagery of hired killers and all the state led betrayal。 There is a lot of ugliness in this novel。Yet Seven Moons… is a creative one as well。 The whole book is structured like a puzzle， so it may be confusing at first but then pieces fall together and the novel becomes a cohesive whole。 In a way I was reminded of Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things， a novel with a non linear structure which criticised extreme actions of political groups。 Because of this factor， Seven Moons appeal emerges with repeated readings。This year’s Booker Longlist contains several political novels but The Seven Moons of Malia Almeida is definitely the most creative one I’ve read so far。 。。。more

Rebecc ，

The 7 Moons of Maali Almeida got off to a crackingly good start & then I came to a bit of a dead stop for a few pages before Karunatilaka's writing really ignited for me。 I have to admit to a sketchy knowledge of Sri Lanka's recent history， but the author makes the civil war as clear as he can do for non-Sri Lankan readers & like in all wars it is the innocent who suffer most。 I am an admirer of the magic realist type writing style （one that is very difficult to pull off successfully）， but it su The 7 Moons of Maali Almeida got off to a crackingly good start & then I came to a bit of a dead stop for a few pages before Karunatilaka's writing really ignited for me。 I have to admit to a sketchy knowledge of Sri Lanka's recent history， but the author makes the civil war as clear as he can do for non-Sri Lankan readers & like in all wars it is the innocent who suffer most。 I am an admirer of the magic realist type writing style （one that is very difficult to pull off successfully）， but it suits Maali's tale as from the start we know the character is already dead & attempting to solve his own death & get his photographs out to the public。 I loved the idea of the living being surrounded by ghosts of the dead & the imagery is very affecting。 Would I have found this novel without it being Booker Prize listed？ I'm not sure， but I hope it wins as it's both beautiful & heartbreaking。 。。。more

Ian ，

The blurb for this one had me intrigued and for the most part it met expectations。 We follow a man sat in some sort of purgatory， he's died but doesn't recall what happened， and is now hassled by disparate ghosts and demons。 He has seven moons to decide what he wants to do next， and spends his time trying to piece together his death。 We find out more about his past， his friends， enemies and what happened next。 It's set in Sri Lanka and a good knowledge of the political situation there is benefic The blurb for this one had me intrigued and for the most part it met expectations。 We follow a man sat in some sort of purgatory， he's died but doesn't recall what happened， and is now hassled by disparate ghosts and demons。 He has seven moons to decide what he wants to do next， and spends his time trying to piece together his death。 We find out more about his past， his friends， enemies and what happened next。 It's set in Sri Lanka and a good knowledge of the political situation there is beneficial， something I don't have， which made the book a difficult read at times。 But the characters， twists and excellent writing kept me engaged throughout。 。。。more

Sofia ，

Ghostly， intense story bringing to the fore the tragedy that Sri Lanka passed through in the 80's and 90's。 Unfortunately I got a bit lost in the words of which there where many。 Ghostly， intense story bringing to the fore the tragedy that Sri Lanka passed through in the 80's and 90's。 Unfortunately I got a bit lost in the words of which there where many。 。。。more

Rahul Singh ，

I think THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA is a very strong contender for the Booker this year。 I know I haven't read all the books in the list yet but from having read Booker-books for so many years， I have this voice in me that says this could as well emerge as the top-two choices for the judges， if not the winner！ Anyway， let me get to my reading of the novel。 It started on a note that may take a few pages to get used to。 There are no chapters but different parts each with titled sections like I think THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA is a very strong contender for the Booker this year。 I know I haven't read all the books in the list yet but from having read Booker-books for so many years， I have this voice in me that says this could as well emerge as the top-two choices for the judges， if not the winner！ Anyway， let me get to my reading of the novel。 It started on a note that may take a few pages to get used to。 There are no chapters but different parts each with titled sections like the way it was in 'Flights'。 The protagonist is dead， of course， and we follow the narrative voice who guides the protagonist in his afterlife。 It feels as though the reader is Maali Almeida （MA）， the gay war photographer in 1980s Sri Lanka who was murdered and fed to cats。 The story drifts between the afterlife where ghosts of dead humans and animals are in conversation with the MA; and also into the real life Sri Lanka where his closeted lover， a dear friend， widowed mother and some people he worked for are on the look out for him。 There's also a set of controversial photographs that he had clicked。 They go into the wrong hands and the ghost of MA is travelling over several moons to ensure it goes into the right ones and the person who murdered him is punished。 So， the stage is set for a mystery novel with a number of suspenses tying the two worlds together。 But it's not simply a mystery novel， it is also a well-thought out political history of Sri Lanka where we see the various ethnic conflicts come to fore; the violences that unsettles the region; the corruption， lies and tragedy that has thwarted its past， present and future。 We see a sad picture of a nation in grief as we find ourselves riddled with the many twists the story of MA， his death， his life after death come to light。 These were things I really enjoyed and I feel could be solid reasons for this novel to make it among the top most favourites of the Booker-judges。 However， there are some things that didn't work for me。 First， too many characters。 It was difficult for me to attach myself to one intimately as there were characters thrown here and there when I was almost feeling attached to a character or two。 Second， the comedy with death seemed a little gimmicky as I found myself more curious about what would happen in the real world than the afterlife which had its own set of interesting characters。 Nevertheless， I would suggest you to go read this book。 I think it's a fantastic read and an eye-opener to an unconventional writing， with plots that keep you on the edge of your seat constantly and a painting of a country's politics that's saddening。 。。。more

Jane Fudger ，

This book has been longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize。 The novel is set in the 1980'S during the Tamil Tigers revolution in Sri Lanka and follows Maali Almeuida a photographer who is allegedly killed due to his war photographs which proves the genocide taling place by the Government - [ this however is not the case but you have to wait to the end of the novel for the true reason！] Maali is killed but has seven moons to reach the light but he first wants to find his hidden photographs and his This book has been longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize。 The novel is set in the 1980'S during the Tamil Tigers revolution in Sri Lanka and follows Maali Almeuida a photographer who is allegedly killed due to his war photographs which proves the genocide taling place by the Government - [ this however is not the case but you have to wait to the end of the novel for the true reason！] Maali is killed but has seven moons to reach the light but he first wants to find his hidden photographs and his killer which takes him on a surreal and somewhat violent journey。 The writing of the novel is masterful， poetic， sad and witty at times and justifably nominated for the Booker prtize 。。。more

Book Wormy ，

#BookerLonglist2022 Book 9Well this is a book that really makes you think。 I loved the way this was a kind of murder mystery played out after death with all the possible suspects and all the possible reasons for Maali to be killed。 I really enjoyed the rules and regulations of the afterlife and the world building that took place there。This story also provided me with an insight into a time and place I knew nothing about and that is one of the best things a work of fiction can do induce the reade #BookerLonglist2022 Book 9Well this is a book that really makes you think。 I loved the way this was a kind of murder mystery played out after death with all the possible suspects and all the possible reasons for Maali to be killed。 I really enjoyed the rules and regulations of the afterlife and the world building that took place there。This story also provided me with an insight into a time and place I knew nothing about and that is one of the best things a work of fiction can do induce the reader to find out about real events。 。。。more

Hugh ，

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022It is almost two weeks since I finished reading this - I have been struggling to find time to write reviews， so I will keep this short。This was a curate's egg for me - there were parts I liked a lot and others I really didn't get on with， and one of those is fairly central to the whole plot - the main protagonist is dead but in a form of administrative limbo that enables him to visit the places he knew when alive。 The death occurred in 1990， and the eponymous Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022It is almost two weeks since I finished reading this - I have been struggling to find time to write reviews， so I will keep this short。This was a curate's egg for me - there were parts I liked a lot and others I really didn't get on with， and one of those is fairly central to the whole plot - the main protagonist is dead but in a form of administrative limbo that enables him to visit the places he knew when alive。 The death occurred in 1990， and the eponymous protagonist was a gay photographer who left a collection of pictures that could potentially be devastating in the wrong hands。There is some incisive stuff about life in Sri Lanka during this period （the early stages of the lengthy civil war） and the nature of the war and the regime， but for me the ghost story elements intervened too often to make this a rewarding reading experience。 。。。more

Paul Fulcher ，

I'm not a massive fan of books over 200 pages and this was a case in point - Three Moons would have been plenty。 Impressively written and an interesting choice by the Booker judges but it wasn't for me。 For a more positive and informative take read my twin's review: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 I'm not a massive fan of books over 200 pages and this was a case in point - Three Moons would have been plenty。 Impressively written and an interesting choice by the Booker judges but it wasn't for me。 For a more positive and informative take read my twin's review: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 。。。more

Jamad ，

Booker 9/13This was too disjointed for me。 My Booker reading seems to have been in reverse - am enjoying them less and less as I continue with the list。 Not a good year for me。

Paige Ramsamy ，

An intricately layered and marvelous novel that blended fantasy， horror， a political thriller， adventure and mystery all into one colorful and engaging story that stunned me with each chapter。 Karunatilaka expertly weaved together violence， profound rumination’s， humor and existential philosophy all in one page， each time and never ceased to amaze me。 How I was delighted and horrified， laughing and tearing up。 I’m not a fantasy reader and this book became a bit too much with those elements that An intricately layered and marvelous novel that blended fantasy， horror， a political thriller， adventure and mystery all into one colorful and engaging story that stunned me with each chapter。 Karunatilaka expertly weaved together violence， profound rumination’s， humor and existential philosophy all in one page， each time and never ceased to amaze me。 How I was delighted and horrified， laughing and tearing up。 I’m not a fantasy reader and this book became a bit too much with those elements that it became a bit comical but it was crafted so well I didn’t mind it all。 Did drag at the end with quite an unsatisfied ending。 Hopefully it will be a runner up to the Booker prize。 。。。more

Gabe James ，

phenomenal， exceptional & brilliant

Tanya ，

Good but too long for me。

Jonathan Pool ，

This is not an easy read。 There is a cast of hundreds， and the shift between our recognisable life， and an afterworld （or In-Between， or The Light） keeps the reader off balance。 Most of all the complexity of Sri Lankan politics and the multiplicity of cause driven groups means that this reader was often having to flip back and recall who was who。That said it was a stimulating read， and the underlying humour with which Karunatilaka writes permeates every page。 That’s just as well when the recent This is not an easy read。 There is a cast of hundreds， and the shift between our recognisable life， and an afterworld （or In-Between， or The Light） keeps the reader off balance。 Most of all the complexity of Sri Lankan politics and the multiplicity of cause driven groups means that this reader was often having to flip back and recall who was who。That said it was a stimulating read， and the underlying humour with which Karunatilaka writes permeates every page。 That’s just as well when the recent history of Sri Lanka is one of killing， torture， abduction and persecution。The fast moving action （and this is action packed） crosses Colombo and is set up as a mixture of ghost story， and， particularly， a thriller， with a whodunit element。 That’s pretty unusual， and very ambitious！ Storyline The book divided into three （overlapping） parts •tThe ravages of civil war， and of corrupt governments， genocide and ethnic intolerance。 It is set in 1989 when the civil strife was at its height。 The reader has to contend with competing political factions operating in Sri Lanka （this is set in Colombo， the capital）， and especially the Tamils and the Sinhalese。 It’s not a straight binary， and the point that Karunatilaka makes very forcibly is that there are many motives for killings and assassinations and abductions。 Nobody， Sri Lankan national or international reader of novels， is going to provide you with a definitive chronology and/or history of the many interests reflected in scores of acronyms （main two being LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and JVP （Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 'People's Liberation Front'）。•tColombo。 Colombo is a city known to locals district by district （eg Colombo 4）。 The main areas where the action is set are at the Hotel Leo Casino， Galle Face Court （an accommodation block）， Beira Lake， Kanatte graveyard， The Lionel Wendt Art Centre （Arthur C。 Clarke is an alumnus）。•tFantasy。 The original incarnation （an appropriate word in this context） for the book was Chats With the Dead ， and the free reign this imagining affords Karunatilaka is a good contrast with worldly bombings。 It’s a world in which the Mahakali （“swallower of souls”） is a perennially threatening menace。 Sinhala yaka dance around the （still） mortals and the names indicate their unrest: The Cannibal Uncle; The Scarred Man; The Feral Child are introduced alongside more generic yaka including The Bahirava Yaka， The Kota Yaka， The Anag Yaka。 The Crow Man and Sparrowboy; notions of Nekath。 ““Crow Man is like the priest in Kung Fu that keeps saying grasshopper” （183） Favourite humour and Characters•tThe pit boss （ie casino floor） takes cops to the Balcony 5th floor。 “they ordered three gins， three vodkas， two tonics and three plates of devilled pork” you memorised that？ 。。 no this is their bill。 “that’s a lot of devilled pork” （71）•tCanada Norway Third World Relief （75） funds for war relief。 I think this is a satirical play on two of the least internationally political nations as a satire on the many real life pressure groups。•t “resembles his sister as a polar bear resembles a peacock” （76）Who knows to what extent Karunatilaka exercised his free imagination with the cast， or whether they are based on larger than life people he knows。 Many of the military and political figures appear under their real names （Major Raja Udugampola being one example）。•tMaali himself （based on Richard de Zoysa to whom the first Chapter is dedicated）。 “Photographer。 Gambler。 Slut。 aka Malinda Albert Kabalana “ He is wise cracking， duplicitous and a street wise product of a cracked nation。•tJonny Gilhooley （British government/BBC official） and Emmanuel Kugarajar （“Jack of Hearts”）。 Both characters are making a return from their appearance in from Karunatilaka previous （cricket） book， Chinaman 。•tDr Ranee Sridharan， manager of the Sri Lankan queues。 （they never go away）。•tThugs Kottu and Balal， and their cat accomplices。 Favourite Scenes•tThroughout the book I enjoyed the covert discussions taking place between the various political parties and action groups。 None of them are trustworthy or consistent and I was immediately reminded of Graham Greene’s writing。 Colonel Gopallaswarmy leads a quasi mythical jungle movement， the Mahatiya， that is in cahoots with the Indian military; sponsored allegedly via the monstrous and corrupt westerner Gilhooley。•tThe CNTR sets up interviews， all of which are filmed by a Heath Robinson contraption comprising a hidden camera in some plastic anthuriums。 The full cast of Srii lankan politics are duly summoned。PM Rajapaksa， MP; JJ Dikahith。 Indian High Commissioner; Jonny Gilhooley; ‘The Karachi Kid’; Israelis， Yael Menachem and Golan Yoram for weapons procurement。 By now I thought I was entering Thomas Pynchon territory which is praise indeed。 Questions •tKarunatilaka has eight sections in the book and chooses an intriguing and diverse selection of epigraphs to kick start each chapter。 What， though， is the significance of Tess Clare？ In fact the whole of the last section is open to personal interpretation （a good thing）•tEars。 I never did spot the significance of the interest in people’s ears in the afterworld。•tWho or what does the dead leopard and the dead atheist signify？I came to this book as a consequence of its Booker prize 2022 longlisting。 The Booker throws up good surprises and disappointments in equal measure。 I found immediate comparisons with other Booker luminaries including Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In this Strange World ; Marlon James’s Dark Star Trilogy， and George Saunders Lincoln In The Bardo 。 This one is firmly in the positive Booker camp for me and I hope it gets shortlisted。 。。。more

Lou ，

Writing a book with a dead narrator can be risky but， Karunatilka pulls this off beautifully。 Maali is a photographer in 1980s Sri Lanka with the hopes that he can stop the war with his photos instead he is killed and is told “every soul is allowed seven moons to wander the In Between。” And here begins his journey of seven moons in the afterlife。 Wonderfully dark humour， gory satire with an afterlife not unlike those found in Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo。This is high on my Booker long list ran Writing a book with a dead narrator can be risky but， Karunatilka pulls this off beautifully。 Maali is a photographer in 1980s Sri Lanka with the hopes that he can stop the war with his photos instead he is killed and is told “every soul is allowed seven moons to wander the In Between。” And here begins his journey of seven moons in the afterlife。 Wonderfully dark humour， gory satire with an afterlife not unlike those found in Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo。This is high on my Booker long list rankings so probably won’t make the short list。 4。5 ⭐️ marked down as it took a long way into the book to connect。 。。。more

Kes ，

4。5/5

Kitty JM ，

I've just finished it and I absolutely loved it。 From the first moment I realised it was about a spirit looking at the chaos and bureaucracy that comes after death， to the powerful ending， I thought it was brilliant。 The main character is irreverent， immoral， selfish and yet just good enough not to lose you。 The history and brutality of Sri Lanka was laid out in detail but not stuffed down your throat。 There's a central mystery， dreamlike sequences， vivid descriptions， mythology and lots of big I've just finished it and I absolutely loved it。 From the first moment I realised it was about a spirit looking at the chaos and bureaucracy that comes after death， to the powerful ending， I thought it was brilliant。 The main character is irreverent， immoral， selfish and yet just good enough not to lose you。 The history and brutality of Sri Lanka was laid out in detail but not stuffed down your throat。 There's a central mystery， dreamlike sequences， vivid descriptions， mythology and lots of big ideas to ponder。 He writes so well！ It was chaos in the middle but then it came together。 It made me think so much about religion， life after death， etc， that I got drunk and had an argument with a friend about beliefs and quoted some bits of the book， and I NEVER do that， it's knobbish。So yeah， I really thought this was great。 Even if the subject of the civil war was very dark and the central premise was quite grim， it was fantastic。 。。。more

Tamsin ，

Chaotic， bleak and brilliantly creative。

Sarah ，

Great premise。 And interesting read- not the easiest toFollow with lots of characters but enjoyable

Maxim Chernykh ，

Some of the bloodiest and saddest pages of Sri Lanka history （the 1980s）， as seen through the eyes of a recently killed man， who wants his share of understanding and maybe revenge。 “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” deftly and poignantly combines history lesson， murder mystery， ghost story， love story and more。 In the end Shehan Karunatilaka leaves us with the utmost question — “What’s to life？” Depending on his mood reader is free to choose from two answers， “Not nothing” and “Not nothing at be Some of the bloodiest and saddest pages of Sri Lanka history （the 1980s）， as seen through the eyes of a recently killed man， who wants his share of understanding and maybe revenge。 “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” deftly and poignantly combines history lesson， murder mystery， ghost story， love story and more。 In the end Shehan Karunatilaka leaves us with the utmost question — “What’s to life？” Depending on his mood reader is free to choose from two answers， “Not nothing” and “Not nothing at best”。 But I can confess， I envy those of you who believe in reincarnation。 。。。more

Rachel Louise Atkin ，

Booker prize book number 8。 Enjoyed this one a lot。 It’s like a Sri Lankan Salman Rushdie novel - satirical， magical realism， political。 The writing was really gripping and I absolutely loved the use of second person and how this just seemed to characterise Maali’s personality even more。 I think if you don’t focus on this novel hard enough then it can become confusing。 You are immediately dropped into the middle of the narrators own confusion and so for the first ‘moon’ you have to work things o Booker prize book number 8。 Enjoyed this one a lot。 It’s like a Sri Lankan Salman Rushdie novel - satirical， magical realism， political。 The writing was really gripping and I absolutely loved the use of second person and how this just seemed to characterise Maali’s personality even more。 I think if you don’t focus on this novel hard enough then it can become confusing。 You are immediately dropped into the middle of the narrators own confusion and so for the first ‘moon’ you have to work things out together。 Once it becomes apparent the way the story is structured it becomes a lot easier to follow。 I absolutely loved flying around Sri Lanka， meeting all the different characters and unravelling the secrets of Maali’s past。I have to say the end of the seventh moon almost had me in tears。 I thought it was written so beautifully， so delicately。 The imagery and the pacing of that section had me emotional in a way I’ve never been before at a book and there were actual tears in my eyes。 It’s a story that’s going to stick with me for a while。 I would be happy if this won the Booker as it was such a good book and I felt really connected to it。 。。。more

Darryl Suite ，

Muah。 A grittier mashup of Lincoln in the Bardo and A Christmas Carol。

Christopher M。 ，

Booker Longlisting， and this is a very strong contender。 Maali Almeida wakes up dead in a surprisingly bureaucratic afterlife where he is given 7 days to account for himself by investigating the circumstances of his own death as a ghost detective。 Part supernatural fantasy， part hard boiled detective story， he is a flawed viewpoint character aware of his own faults whose life is tied in to the hidden history of the civil war in Sri Lanka。 All of the elements work brilliantly together， and there Booker Longlisting， and this is a very strong contender。 Maali Almeida wakes up dead in a surprisingly bureaucratic afterlife where he is given 7 days to account for himself by investigating the circumstances of his own death as a ghost detective。 Part supernatural fantasy， part hard boiled detective story， he is a flawed viewpoint character aware of his own faults whose life is tied in to the hidden history of the civil war in Sri Lanka。 All of the elements work brilliantly together， and there is humour and poetry in the often brutal story。 It's so good that I'm prepared to overlook the fact that it's a revised and retitled version of a 2020 novel， so not strictly a 2022 publication！ 。。。more

Eric Anderson ，

How could I not fall for a novel whose plot superficially resembles the movie 'Ghost'？ That's not to say this book was inspired by that film as its use of ghosts caught “In-Between” is rooted in Sri Lankan folklore， but it's the reference which immediately came to my mind when reading this tremendous story。 There may not be any Oda Mae Brown， but there is a more sinister self-interested sort of medium called The Crow Man。 Thankfully the protagonist is also much more interesting than the blandly How could I not fall for a novel whose plot superficially resembles the movie 'Ghost'？ That's not to say this book was inspired by that film as its use of ghosts caught “In-Between” is rooted in Sri Lankan folklore， but it's the reference which immediately came to my mind when reading this tremendous story。 There may not be any Oda Mae Brown， but there is a more sinister self-interested sort of medium called The Crow Man。 Thankfully the protagonist is also much more interesting than the blandly good， pretty boy Sam Wheat。 Maali Almeida documents atrocities of war and wants tyrants to be held accountable but he is not virtuous。 From page one it states that if he had a business card it'd say: “Maali Almeida: Photographer。 Gambler。 Slut。” He accepts work from shady organizations， loses a lot of his money at a casino and sleeps around with many men behind his （secret） partner DD's back。 What's more he's disillusioned with the government and doesn't attach himself to any particular political organization in Sri Lanka which is heavily embroiled in a deadly civil war during the late 80s when this novel is set。 Because of all his complexity and so-called “flaws”， I fell in love with this character。 At the start of the book Maali wakes to find himself in the liminal space between life and the great beyond。 Just like we can't recall birth， he can't recall his death。 He's instructed by an official that he has seven moons to decide whether he wants to enter the light or remain as a spectre amongst the living。 A countdown begins during which he wants to discover his killer， reconnect with those he loves and reveal to the public shocking evidence of a national scandal。 It's satisfying reading a novel built around a certain structure that moves towards a definite ending and the suspenseful way in which this story unravels makes it thrilling to reach the conclusion。 We gradually discover details of his life through people he “haunts”， but he also encounters many of the dead victims he got paid for photographing。 In addition to those who were actively killed there are the ghosts of those who found life in Sri Lanka untenable and committed suicide。 These spirits are raging。 There is a tension between those who want to get their revenge and the desire to leave all the pain of life behind。 Read my full review of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka at LonesomeReaderOr watch my video discussing this novel here: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=eCRGvX7X8YY 。。。more

Neil ，

This is another book that I probably would not have read if not for its inclusion on the Booker Prize long list for 2022。The book is set in Colombo in 1990 and the main character is the eponymous Maali Almeida whose self-description in the narrative is “photographer， gambler， slut”。 As I now have a very small photography business of my own， the first part of this description caught my eye。 But it quickly becomes apparent that Almeida and I photograph very different things。 My photography is all This is another book that I probably would not have read if not for its inclusion on the Booker Prize long list for 2022。The book is set in Colombo in 1990 and the main character is the eponymous Maali Almeida whose self-description in the narrative is “photographer， gambler， slut”。 As I now have a very small photography business of my own， the first part of this description caught my eye。 But it quickly becomes apparent that Almeida and I photograph very different things。 My photography is all about the calming influences of nature。 Almeida’s photography is about capturing the horrors of war。As the book opens， Almeida discovers that he is dead and that he is now in a kind of “waiting room”， an afterlife where he is in an intermediate state prior to， possibly， entering The Light。 He quickly learns that he has seven moons （i。e。 seven days） to sort several things out that might otherwise hinder his progress。 This sets the book up and we read what is presented to us as， effectively， a murder mystery with a dead man attempting to work out how he was killed and who did it。It has to be said that this isn’t the easiest book to read。 It’s a heady mixture of Sri Lankan politics （about which I know very little） and mythology （largely Hindu， about which I know even less）。 I struggled for the first couple of moons （there’s a chapter for each of the seven moons） but then started to get into the swing of things and it felt a bit easier to read from then onwards。 It has big overlaps with another book on the long list （The Trees）: both use dark humour to look at an even darker subject。Being a photographer myself， I ended the book mystified as to what a Nikon ST3 is。 And mystified as to why people would assume a roll of film was 32 exposures and therefore not miss the final 4 frames if the photographer chose to keep those negatives。 But then the book is full of unexplained weird things happening， so I will probably never know。It might not be an easy book to read， but it is a memorable one。 。。。more

Sarah Benjamin ，

I learned a lot about the conflicts in Sri Lanka from this book which was long listed for the Booker prize 2022 The novel is told from the point of view of a recently deceased person who as a ghost needs to learn the story of his death before he can pass over into the light or heaven It’s quite a stylish book and there were some very witty places I found all the different political factions difficult to follow and found I was lost several times during the story 。The author dies put a helpful lis I learned a lot about the conflicts in Sri Lanka from this book which was long listed for the Booker prize 2022 The novel is told from the point of view of a recently deceased person who as a ghost needs to learn the story of his death before he can pass over into the light or heaven It’s quite a stylish book and there were some very witty places I found all the different political factions difficult to follow and found I was lost several times during the story 。The author dies put a helpful list in the story of the different political factions but because I read on kindle I couldn’t easily look back at that when I was confused I liked the idea of a ghost army which was becoming increasingly militant as the book progressed mirroring the problems in the country nicely 。The political corruption was jaw dropping I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t one of my favourites in the Booker longlist。7/10 。。。more

Kelly Black ，

3。5

Ellie ，

This is a magnificent book that fully deserves its Booker prize longlisting。 It is set in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s and the plot revolves around the events of the civil war， but you don't need to have any real background knowledge as the book has gone through extensive edits （from its previously published version Chats with the Dead） to make it more accessible to international audiences。The main character， Maali Almeida， is a war photographer and we find out quite quickly that he is dead - or This is a magnificent book that fully deserves its Booker prize longlisting。 It is set in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s and the plot revolves around the events of the civil war， but you don't need to have any real background knowledge as the book has gone through extensive edits （from its previously published version Chats with the Dead） to make it more accessible to international audiences。The main character， Maali Almeida， is a war photographer and we find out quite quickly that he is dead - or 'you' are dead， as this novel is written in the second person （initially disconcerting）。 You and Maali's spirit are in the waiting room of a limbo-like afterlife。 Spirits have a choice whether to go directly to The Light， spend seven moons in the In Between or stay there permanently。 Maali isn't left to make this choice alone， as he is surrounded by ghosts， some of them trying to persuade him that their way is the high way。Maali is tempted by the ghost of a communist organiser into exiting the waiting room and he explores the In Between， which is essentially being a ghost in the normal world。 Ghosts can linger there seemingly as long as they like， and the In Between is populated by a host of ghouls， demons and other spirits from Sri Lankan mythology。 The only caveat is that spirits can only travel 'where their body has been'。 They are able to wait in a mara tree to hear their name spoken on one of the winds which allows them to travel， and as Maali becomes expert at doing this we learn about his life through a mixture of conversations about him and flashbacks。Maali learns early on that he was killed while at the casino， and that his body was disposed of by 'garbage men' working for a death squad， the members of which are named by the communist organiser。 The most senior person in the death squad is quite high up in the Sri Lankan regime， suggesting that Maali has been targeted due to his photography of the atrocities carried out by all sides in the civil war。 Maali has some hidden photographs taken on his assignments for various parties in the war （including an NGO， the Sri Lankan army and the Associated Press） which have the potential to implicate， amongst others， high-ranking government ministers。Over the course of the novel， Maali attempts to contact his friends and flatmates， Jaki and DD， to let them know where the photographs and negatives are so that they can be kept from the authorities and eventually exhibited。 For ghosts， communicating with the living is very difficult， and in his attempts to do so Maali ends up mixing with unsavoury spirits who hold power in the In Between。 While Maali is trying to contact his friends， we learn about his complicated personal life and the secret relationship he has with DD， the son of the only Tamil cabinet minister。Throughout this book， Maali is urged by conflicting forces - on the one hand， to stay in the In Between and get revenge， on the other to avoid trying to change the world Down There and to move on to The Light。 As readers， we see through Maali's eyes the extent of Sri Lanka's suffering， much of it directly caused by the government and the army。 Through exhibiting his photos， Maali is determined to show the world what he has seen， but risks exposing the secrets of his personal life in the process。Like several of the books longlisted for the Booker prize this year， the ending is unexpected， but unlike others this novel ties up loose ends and answers questions posed at the beginning。 Despite a few minor plot inconsistencies， this is an incredibly well-executed book with excellent characterisation and a plot which builds up perfectly to its conclusion。 。。。more

Serena ，

funny， wild ride， at times sad and tender。 i love post-colonial fiction that doesn't take itself too seriously。 funny， wild ride， at times sad and tender。 i love post-colonial fiction that doesn't take itself too seriously。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022&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: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0