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The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-10-18 10:51:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Shehan Karunatilaka
  • ISBN：132406482X
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Summary

Colombo， 1990。 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 contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to the photos that will rock Sri Lanka。


Ten years after his prize-winning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka’s foremost authors， Shehan Karunatilaka is back with a “thrilling satire” （Economist） and rip-roaring state-of-the-nation epic that offers equal parts mordant wit and disturbing， profound truths。

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Reviews

Samantha Grenier ，

So thrilled this won the Booker prize！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ It charmed me to the core with:- ghosts- casual grit- non-sappy love- snark- flawed characters with golden hearts

Megan ，

A Sri Lankan photographer of war atrocities tries to solve his own murder from the afterlife。

Deeksha Patel ，

PLEASE LET THIS MASTERPIECE WIN THE BOOKER

Stuart ，

This was a difficult book to read and understand。 The subject matter of course was gruesome at times but necessary to explain the effects of the civil war in Sri Lanka。 I struggled often with following along but the writing was so enjoyable。 Still， I wonder if this book might have been a bit shorter and still have the same effect。 Strong contender for the Booker Prize。

Rendezvouswithbooks ，

¢нαтѕ ωιтн тнє ∂єα∂ ву ѕнєнαη кαяυηαтιℓαкαरस निष्पत्ति - रौद्र 😡， वीभत्स😖 （in readers）भाव निर्मिति - शोक😔， भय 😨（ in characters）Hey MaaliI had to write to you， to say。。To say， Thank God you exist， as in your Ghost exists。 Yaa for once am not scared of themWhile I have met the ghosts of past so many times， you were the one who showed the true futureTrust me your Ghost didn't scare me。 Ohh but the world of humans you lived in， or I live in does scare me a lotBut you are too courageous， man。 Such a ¢нαтѕ ωιтн тнє ∂єα∂ ву ѕнєнαη кαяυηαтιℓαкαरस निष्पत्ति - रौद्र 😡， वीभत्स😖 （in readers）भाव निर्मिति - शोक😔， भय 😨（ in characters）Hey MaaliI had to write to you， to say。。To say， Thank God you exist， as in your Ghost exists。 Yaa for once am not scared of themWhile I have met the ghosts of past so many times， you were the one who showed the true futureTrust me your Ghost didn't scare me。 Ohh but the world of humans you lived in， or I live in does scare me a lotBut you are too courageous， man。 Such a liberator you were。 Trying to unshackle so many boundaries- boundaries created by bodies， people， politics， warYou made me wonder， wonder so many things- What if liberation is a myth on earth， while you are actually liberated only when you are dead- What if life is intermittent while Death is the destination - What if the B&W pictures that you took are the actual colors of this world。。a world devoid of pinks & purples， yellows & blues。。all you could find in this Grey is gore of redYour quest to find answers to your death posed so many Q。s to me*Are you at peace now， for once* Do Ghosts judge you too on your sexuality or your desires。 Oh I do confess some of yours were shocking but I accept it， in the way I accept that war & its impact leaves deep marks on your soul。 And only rage could kill the rage you facedAwaiting to see your latest pictures， to see if we can actually see Ghosts in photographs， just like we could see the evils of the real world in your picturesP。S。 The author of your story knows you， what you faced & the country that has faced it along with you so deeply， that every word he wrote feels flushed with bloodAs much as I feel dejected for the victims of war， my heart bows to those millions of victims who have faced its impact & yet had the courage to talk & write about itI am sure you meet one such courageous man often - the one who told us your storyDo tell him I read this 1 for the sheer impact this creative piece of blatant writing created & would convey the same to all（Strange that I am finding it easier to talk to a Ghost than humans after I read this 1Should I be worried 😅）FromA forever fan 。。。more

Kyle Kelly ，

I had high hopes for this one。 It’s a solid read but it takes a ton of unnecessary detours along the way and relies on a lot of somewhat last minute/ McGuffin style plot devices。 Somewhere in there I didn’t really believe in the magic show / plot。 But， it was pretty fun to read for a bit。

Rilana Cima ，

An addictive Reading-Rollercoaster。

Abdul Noormohamed ，

“They say the truth will set you free， though in Sri Lanka the truth can land you in a cage。 And you have no more use for truth or cages or killers or lovers with perfect skin。 All you have left are your images of ghosts。 That may well be enough。”

Lucy ，

Thought this was brilliant。 Set during the Sri Lankan civil war， and I found this book not only very enjoyable to read （I really love the whole 7 moon concept）， but also educational - and it also brings up some important topics such as the war， sexuality， race， corruption etc。 Loved the writing， and the second person narrative really worked for me！

Emma ，

Just won the Booker prize so I guess I’ll bump it up a star。

Debbie ，

Hard to get into but worth the effort。

OD1_404 ，

New update: Booker Prize 2022 winner！ Congratulations Shehan Karunatilaka！ Review written prior to winner announcement: This is a brilliant story！ I throughly enjoyed this book， and therefore my favourite so far of the Booker Shortlist （I still have yet to read Glory， which seems to be many people’s favourite for the prize）。 Prize winner or not， this is a great book。 The story magically mixes beauty and myth with the brutal and horrific atrocities of civil war and corrupt governments。 It could b New update: Booker Prize 2022 winner！ Congratulations Shehan Karunatilaka！ Review written prior to winner announcement: This is a brilliant story！ I throughly enjoyed this book， and therefore my favourite so far of the Booker Shortlist （I still have yet to read Glory， which seems to be many people’s favourite for the prize）。 Prize winner or not， this is a great book。 The story magically mixes beauty and myth with the brutal and horrific atrocities of civil war and corrupt governments。 It could be tricky to keep up with at certain points， and was a surprisingly demanding read。 But it is absolutely worth sticking with and persevering。 I will certainly be adding ‘Chinaman’ to my TBR list now。 。。。more

Carlos ，

What if seven is the magic number？ At least it was， the year Marlon James won the Booker and the truth be said， as I was reading The seven moons of Maali Almeida I thought of A Brief History of Seven Killings more than once。 What if Maali could whisper the number seven to the jury tomorrow？ After all， Maali was a compulsive gambler， loved numbers and was particularly good at whispering in people’s ears。 He was also gay and loved living in the edge。 Thoughts and whispers that come from without What if seven is the magic number？ At least it was， the year Marlon James won the Booker and the truth be said， as I was reading The seven moons of Maali Almeida I thought of A Brief History of Seven Killings more than once。 What if Maali could whisper the number seven to the jury tomorrow？ After all， Maali was a compulsive gambler， loved numbers and was particularly good at whispering in people’s ears。 He was also gay and loved living in the edge。 Thoughts and whispers that come from without as well as within。 As he recovers from what he thinks is a bad dream （caused perhaps by some pills he swallowed， but could not remember）， he realizes he’s dead。 The story takes place during the civil war in Siri Lanka in 1990 and our hero is a photographer that has witnessed and saved， images of horrible killings which if exposed， could dramatically change the course of the war。 But now he is inside an administrative building where he is told he has died and has seven moons to remember how， and eventually， find the light。 The novel describes the journey， in which reality and the afterlife interchange， providing feedback in the form of past events that gradually build the story of his life。 Although both countries are members of the Commonwealth， Jamaica is not Siri Lanka。 Still， I could find certain parallelisms between both novels， mainly in the form， where long sections are broken into smaller ones and above all， in the writing， which in both authors can only be described as daring and audacious。 And perhaps tomorrow we'll know if there is one more thing both writers have in common。 The style owes a lot to magical realism。 In my reading experience， I have to say at first that the names of the groups involved in the conflict were confusing， since I knew very little about the civil war in that country。 Also confusing were the different ethnic groups， Tamil， Sinhlese， Burgher which are at the core of the dispute。 The story is rich in details and can become untidy at times。 The reward， however， is immense for the reader， that seems to submerge in the writing， embarking on an awesome ride， propelled by the rhythmic intensity of Shehan Karunatilaka’s prose。Seven is indeed the magic number。 ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎__ 。。。more

Sreelakshmy ，

Booker Challenge #3Loved the setup， the story/ies， and the ghosts。 An intelligent narrative woven into the fabric of Sri Lanka's political turmoil。 I have a feeling you are going to bag the Booker， MA！"And without a doubt， that is the kindest thing you can say about life。 It's not nothing" <3 Booker Challenge #3Loved the setup， the story/ies， and the ghosts。 An intelligent narrative woven into the fabric of Sri Lanka's political turmoil。 I have a feeling you are going to bag the Booker， MA！"And without a doubt， that is the kindest thing you can say about life。 It's not nothing" <3 。。。more

Fiona Erskine ，

Once you get past the death and sodomy （this novel is not for the faint hearted） it is to find a cleverly constructed crime novel （who killed me？） and an interesting meditation on life， death， religion， power and the essence of what really matters。 A stream of consciousness with a heavy dose of magical realism， gallows humour and sneering cynicism， I enjoyed it more and more as I read on。 Maali is a photographer who specialises in capturing atrocity on film。 In 1983 Sri-Lanka， there is no shorta Once you get past the death and sodomy （this novel is not for the faint hearted） it is to find a cleverly constructed crime novel （who killed me？） and an interesting meditation on life， death， religion， power and the essence of what really matters。 A stream of consciousness with a heavy dose of magical realism， gallows humour and sneering cynicism， I enjoyed it more and more as I read on。 Maali is a photographer who specialises in capturing atrocity on film。 In 1983 Sri-Lanka， there is no shortage of horror to witness， and things get worse when the Indian peacekeepers arrive， arms dealers vie to stoke the fire， the UN beams on from their safe city compound and the extremists of all sides attack their own moderates。Maali has unfinished business with the father who deserted him， the girl who stood by him， his boyfriend， his many lovers， his killer and those in power who orchestrate the brutality of civil war。 He is permitted up to seven moons in limbo to come to terms with his life and death and legacy before moving on。I don't expect this to win the Booker prize - too many parallels with previous winners: Lincoln in the Bardo 2017 （George Saunders） and A Brief History of Seven Killings 2015 （Marlon James） - too cruel at the start and too neatly tied up by the end， but I was gripped by this impressive novel， one that resonates and demands a rereading。 。。。more

Nathan Drake ，

Thoughts。 Thoughts and the act of thinking according to Shehan Karunatilaka's Booker 2022 Shortlisted novel THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA （A re-edited version of Karunatilaka's 2020 novel CHATS WITH THE DEAD） is catching the whispers of the spirits of the dead who surround us during our every breath of existence。 Spirits who have seen the whole "birth-life-death" cycle and are disillusioned by the notion of life。 Some of those spirits decide to plunge into the light to be reborn。 But， the cav Thoughts。 Thoughts and the act of thinking according to Shehan Karunatilaka's Booker 2022 Shortlisted novel THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA （A re-edited version of Karunatilaka's 2020 novel CHATS WITH THE DEAD） is catching the whispers of the spirits of the dead who surround us during our every breath of existence。 Spirits who have seen the whole "birth-life-death" cycle and are disillusioned by the notion of life。 Some of those spirits decide to plunge into the light to be reborn。 But， the caveat here being that once you step into the light， you lose memory of your previous life。 This phenomenon and the fact about thoughts being whispers of human spirits might be the only plausible explanation for why humankind as a species is hell bent on repeating history。The cycle of violence of us as a species has been discussed， debated and pondered upon for generations and while the common thread unspooling through the fabric of time when pertaining to the blot of the cyclical nature of violence has been bigotry， why does this glaring thread not stick out as lint to be discarded and is instead continued to be weaved into patterns of autocratic leanings？Karunatilaka， through the lens of his protagonist Maali Almeida's camera， tries to look at Sri Lanka's tumultuous， war torn history， while peeping through a viewfinder smeared in blood and grime。 Maali Almeida， a photographer， freshly killed， has seven moons to lead his best friends to a cache of his photographs that he believes will "rock the Sri Lankan world"。 The book is divided into eight chapters （each chapter chronicling one moon and a final chapter that I will refrain from disclosing because， spoilers！） and each chapter is divided into multiple fragments。 Each fragment is named after either an anecdote or a photograph or a conversation Maali has with another dead soul。 Written predominantly in second person， Karunatilaka takes "putting the reader in the protagonist's shoes" in a literal sense and this indirect shoehorning of the reader into the events that transpire in the novel is one of Karunatilaka's many strokes of dark humour。 Yes， as politically incorrect as this sounds when pertaining to a novel about the atrocities of the Sri Lankan civil war， this is a hysterically hilarious novel。 There are multiple instances of dark comedic genius that makes one's sides split。 But then， the reader asks themselves the question "was I supposed to laugh at this instance？" or rather "was I supposed to find this funny？"。 And it is in this experiential quandary that Karunatilaka scores his biggest win。 He makes you laugh at the joke we have reduced humankind to。 A country's descent into chaos mirror's the world's descent into a bigoted dystopia。It's all a joke and we as a species are the butt of it！ 。。。more

Helen ，

I learnt a lot about Sri Lankan politics， history and mythology。 I enjoyed the way the story was told from an unusual perspective。 I thought the way the main character's memories came back gradually sustained the mystery。 I felt it did not need the final part。 The subject matter was very dark and handled well。 We should not look away from these matters。 I learnt a lot about Sri Lankan politics， history and mythology。 I enjoyed the way the story was told from an unusual perspective。 I thought the way the main character's memories came back gradually sustained the mystery。 I felt it did not need the final part。 The subject matter was very dark and handled well。 We should not look away from these matters。 。。。more

Maria Magdalena ，

Out of the Five shortlisted Booker Prize novels， this is the winner for me。

Dwayne ，

I have to admit that when this made the longlist for the Booker， I wasn't very interested in reading it。 Somewhere between it making the shortlist and being available on Kindle for less than $10， I said what the heck and jumped right in。 I'm so glad I took that chance as this is a book that is nothing short of brilliant。 At the beginning， I was a bit unsure of where it was going， and I will admit that it can be a bit hard to follow at time， but you know what？ Sometimes you just need to pay some I have to admit that when this made the longlist for the Booker， I wasn't very interested in reading it。 Somewhere between it making the shortlist and being available on Kindle for less than $10， I said what the heck and jumped right in。 I'm so glad I took that chance as this is a book that is nothing short of brilliant。 At the beginning， I was a bit unsure of where it was going， and I will admit that it can be a bit hard to follow at time， but you know what？ Sometimes you just need to pay some damn attention。 If you're looking for an "easy read，" then this might not be for you。 With that said， I was highly entertained but also deeply moved， and by the end， my attention paid was more than rewarded。So what's it about？ It's about Sri Lanka and political corruption。 It's about life and death。 It's about reality and metaphysics。 It's about Maali Almeida- the book begins with him in the afterlife; a place that， having grown up in a Third World country， looked all too familiar to me。 He has no clue how he got there， he hasn't a clue that he's even dead。 In its 400 pages， the book tries to piece together the who and the why， but from its very first page it establishes that this is no ordinary ghost story。 As one reviewer from The Times points out， this is basically Stranger Things if Salman Rushdie wrote it- irreverent， hilarious， and more than a little creepy。As I've said， this won't be a book the average reader will breeze through。 It requires time， patience and undivided attention。 The story starts off a little slow， but it gets going， it really gets going。In the hands of another， less capable writer， this could have been a mess。 And you know what？ As a hodgepodge of different genres， it probably is。 As a satire told in a nonlinear style， though， that kinda feels like the point。I'm not yet done with Glory and I probably won't read much of the others， so as of right now， I can't say if this was the most deserving winner of the Booker shortlist。 I will say， though， that I'm so so glad it won。 It's a daring piece of work， one that I will definitely be reading again。 A long， funny， violent， macabre， engaging story。 My sincerest gratitude to the Booker committee for introducing me to such an amazing writer。 。。。more

Tamera Davis ，

Really dark and confusing in places。 The entire book took place in an afterlife created by the writer。 Super creative。

Milo ，

Great concept， poor execution。 I enjoyed the first 50 pages a lot but then it slowly becoming more of a drag。 There are way too many characters， repetitive details about the protagonist’s relationship with the people around him （really？ You have daddy issue？ I didn’t pick that up from the first 50 mentions）。 This has so much potential！ The editor should really have been firm with the author and cut down the novel to half its size。

Edward Champion ，

I'm trying to finish up my Booker finalist reading before Monday's announcement （just one more to go）， but this novel is a stone-cold imaginative masterpiece！ Not only is it lively and engaging in its storytelling， but it somehow manages to fuse so many disparate elements （a gay war photographer who also serves as a fixer and has to walk the fucking earth for seven nights， the history of Sri Lanka， an entire world of dead people， a mystery， Maali revisiting the people in his life， a mysterious d I'm trying to finish up my Booker finalist reading before Monday's announcement （just one more to go）， but this novel is a stone-cold imaginative masterpiece！ Not only is it lively and engaging in its storytelling， but it somehow manages to fuse so many disparate elements （a gay war photographer who also serves as a fixer and has to walk the fucking earth for seven nights， the history of Sri Lanka， an entire world of dead people， a mystery， Maali revisiting the people in his life， a mysterious dude called the Crow Man） and make it work into a gripping and cohesive novel。 I'm honestly torn between this and Percival Everett's THE TREES， but these two books are definitely the clear frontrunners！ 。。。more

Patricia ，

Really struggled with this one。 The writing is superb， but every page is filled with chaos， descriptions of horrific deaths， spirits drifting in limbo。 It’s a tough read。 I found myself skipping a lot， but also registering at a gut-level way the horrors of the civil war in Sri Lanka

Calvin Johnson ，

Not bad， but not amongst my top books for the 2022 Booker Prize。 Small Things Like These and Treacle Walker had a more profound impact on me than this， but I also feel like this book took a lot of ideals from Lincoln in the Bardo， only the main focus was the Sri Lankan Civil War。

Oscreads ，

Enjoyed my time with this one。

James ，

Winner for the Booker Prize 2022“You could give depth to the shallow， texture to the flat， and meaning to the banal。”Emerging from an unexpected break in posting due to general work-related exhaustion—sleeping in proving far more attractive on my days off than corralling my two remaining brain cells into writing stuff—but doing so now on account of the incandescent lunar if not pandemoniac brilliance of this book。 Sri Lankan history， mired in blood and brutality， takes an irreverent turn in Sheh Winner for the Booker Prize 2022“You could give depth to the shallow， texture to the flat， and meaning to the banal。”Emerging from an unexpected break in posting due to general work-related exhaustion—sleeping in proving far more attractive on my days off than corralling my two remaining brain cells into writing stuff—but doing so now on account of the incandescent lunar if not pandemoniac brilliance of this book。 Sri Lankan history， mired in blood and brutality， takes an irreverent turn in Shehan Karunatilaka’s surrealist reimagining swarming with government death squads， ghosts with unfinished business， gay crimes。 Breathtaking， batshit， yet in the end tenderesthearted， “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida，” or “Seven Moons” hereinafter， dumps right in the afterlife the reader more or less possessed via second-person address by our titular character—“war photographer， gambler and closet gay”—recently disappeared under sketchy circumstances， and given the titular number of moons to make reluctant preparations for his entry into what’s called “the Light，” which is “Whatever You Need It To Be” （capitalisation his）。What fantastically ensues， as Maali races against time to contact via phantom whispers his grieving loved ones re a secret stash of his photos exposing political corruption， is nothing less than an act of pure mesmerism， as Karunatilaka switches with psychic ease between the different registers whether here the comedic （“He was still the perfect ten， on a scale of one to thirteen”）， or thither the horrific as the rug of sanitised history is snatched away to reveal fresh traumas。 The way that I， moonstruck， had to hug my copy of “Seven Moons” after all was said and done， marvelling unseeingly at the perfection of those stupendous， those soulful closing pages， which against all initial deep doubts—and I did nurse several， in parts where the writing seemed to be getting too away from itself， Karunatilaka’s runaway imagination become an absolute menace—did somehow manage to stick the cleanest landing， with novel comment on national mythopoeia， purgatorial desire， the worth of a life on “this savage isle， this godless planet， this dying sun， and this snoring galaxy。” What sublimity！ 。。。more

Literaturtee ，

GRAUSAME GEISTERShehan Karunatilakas Roman “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” steht zurzeit auf der Shortlist für den diesjährigen Booker Prize und es ist genau wegen Büchern wie diese， dass ich Preislisten liebe！ Es gibt viele berechtigte Einwände gegen dieses Longlist-Shortlist-Spiel， aber von alleine wäre ich nie auf die Idee gekommen， den Roman zu lesen。 Mir wäre echt was entgangen！Der Protagonist Maali Almeida findet sich zu Beginn des Romans desorientiert und tot im Jenseits wieder， das ei GRAUSAME GEISTERShehan Karunatilakas Roman “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” steht zurzeit auf der Shortlist für den diesjährigen Booker Prize und es ist genau wegen Büchern wie diese， dass ich Preislisten liebe！ Es gibt viele berechtigte Einwände gegen dieses Longlist-Shortlist-Spiel， aber von alleine wäre ich nie auf die Idee gekommen， den Roman zu lesen。 Mir wäre echt was entgangen！Der Protagonist Maali Almeida findet sich zu Beginn des Romans desorientiert und tot im Jenseits wieder， das einem Steuerbüro zum Verwechseln ähnlich sieht， oder auch einer Tiefgarage ohne Autos。 Eine ganz in weiß gekleidete Frau hinter einem Schalter erklärt ihm， dass er seine Ohren gecheckt bekommen müsste， bevor er in Das Licht eingehen kann。 Almeida wird zur 42。 Etage geschickt， doch als er da ankommt， ist diese geschlossen。 Er verwickelt sich in ein Gespräch mit einem toten Atheisten und lässt sich überzeugen， als Geist in die Welt zurückzukehren， um seine Mörder zu finden und seinen Tod zu rächen， auch wenn er sich an nichts erinnern kann。 Seine Helferin rät ihm ab und warnt ihn vor den Gefahren， doch Almeida war schon immer ein Spieler， er geht das Risiko ein。Doch die Welt sieht aus Geistersicht anders aus， überall sitzen die Geister Ermordeter， gerade in einem Land wie Sri Lanka， in dem ein blutiger Bürgerkrieg tobt。 Weder kann Maali sich einfach so frei bewegen， noch weiß er， wo er anfangen soll。 So landet er zuerst bei den beiden Männern， die seinen zerhackten Körper in einen toxischen See in der Hauptstadt Colombo geschmissen haben。 Doch wen er wirklich sehen muss， wo er wirklich hin will， ist seine große Liebe DD sowie seine zweite Mitbewohnerin， Jaki。 Sie müssen unbedingt die Box finden， in der er fünf Umschläge hinterlegt hat， vier Umschläge voll mit den Grauen des Krieges， ermordete， zerstückelte， gesprengte Männer， Frauen und Kinder， sowie ein Umschlag voller Liebe， DD gewidmet。 Die Fotos müssen veröffentlicht werden， damit die Menschen in Sri Lanka und dem Rest der Welt den Horror sehen， der tagtäglich im Namen der verfeindeten Gruppen ausgeübt wird。 Doch Maali merkt schnell: Das Nachleben ist nicht einfacher als das echte Leben。 Auch im Jenseits gibt es Geister mit unterschiedlichen Zielen， gibt es Hierarchien und Feindschaften sowie echte Gefahren für einen frisch Ermordeten wie ihn。 So scheinen die sieben Monde eine verdammt kurze Zeit， um seine Mörder zu finden und Jaki und DD zu retten。 Denn auch sie geraten ins Fadenkreuz des Terrors， der Sri Lanka im Würgegriff hält。Maali Almeida ist nicht unbedingt der Held， den man sich vorstellen mag。 Ja， er ist Kriegsfotograf und riskiert routinemäßig sein Leben， um der Welt die Wahrheit über den Bürgerkrieg zu zeigen， aber er ist auch ein Spieler， ein Lügner und er betrügt seinen Freund， die Liebe seines Lebens DD， regelmäßig mit anderen Männern。 Doch all das sorgt dafür， dass der Roman trotz seines harten Themas eine zweite Seite hat， eine lebensbejahende。 Von Anfang an schreibt Shehan Karunatilaka mit viel Galgenhumor， Sarkasmus und einem Gespür für den passenden Tonfall。Der Bürgerkrieg in Sri Lanka mag seit 2009 offiziell vorbei sein， doch viele Kriegsverbrechen sind bis heute nicht aufgearbeitet。 Der Protagonist Maali stammt von drei Bevölkerungsgruppen ab （Singhalesen， Tamilen， Burgher） und steht somit nicht nur aufgrund seines Berufs zwischen allen Fronten。 Seine Homosexualität wirft zudem ein Licht auf die Situation von LGBTQ-Personen in Sri Lanka， doch das steht nicht im Zentrum der Geschichte， sondern die politisch verworrene Situation des Landes， die natürlich auch eine Folge des Kolonialismus und der Ausbeutung durch europäische Mächte ist。Shehan Karunatilaka hat in einem Interview gesagt， dass er vielfältige Inspirationsquellen genutzt hat， um seine Geschichte zu verfassen。 Spätestens bei der Etage 42 dürften das die meisten Leser:innen gemerkt haben， ist die 42 doch bekanntermaßen die Antwort auf alles， doch im Roman ist diese Etage geschlossen。 Maali kann seine Ohren nicht checken lassen， die Erkenntnis verzögert sich。 Der Roman ist voll von solchen literarischen Verweisen und Spielchen， ohne dass es aufgesetzt wirken würde。 Die Absurditäten des Jenseits konterkarieren dabei nicht das Diesseits， sondern heben dessen eigenen Absurditäten vielmehr hervor， die allgegenwärtige Korruption egal welcher Gruppierung， die menschenverachtende Gewalt sowie Heuchelei allerorten。 Am Ende wirkt das Jenseits als der deutlich verlässlichere Ort。Ich habe den Roman unheimlich gerne gelesen und bin teilweise richtig drin versunken， aber es war nicht immer einfach， da ich mich mit der Geschichte Sir Lankas nicht wirklich auskenne。 Aber gerade das ist natürlich die Stärke großartiger Literatur， dass sie uns unterhalten， aber auch eine Einblick in eine für uns völlig fremde Welt bieten kann。 Und das tut der Roman auf jeden Fall！ Ich drücke ihm fest die Daumen für den Booker Prize， auf dessen Shortlist er zurzeit steht。 So oder so wünsche ich ihm möglichst viele Leser:innen， ganz klare Leseempfehlung！ 。。。more

Lee ，

An unusual and interesting novel， full of exuberance， that sent me off on many tangential research dives， as I’m prone to do。 I thought I knew a fair little bit about Sri Lanka but had never heard of the JVP communist insurgency in the late 1980s， so I was mistaken！ I’d have liked it even more if it didn’t violate its own central titular rule - that a spirit has seven moons （days） to enter the light。 Instead it went like:Moon 1: You have seven days， Maali！Moon 3: in this moon we encounter the al An unusual and interesting novel， full of exuberance， that sent me off on many tangential research dives， as I’m prone to do。 I thought I knew a fair little bit about Sri Lanka but had never heard of the JVP communist insurgency in the late 1980s， so I was mistaken！ I’d have liked it even more if it didn’t violate its own central titular rule - that a spirit has seven moons （days） to enter the light。 Instead it went like:Moon 1: You have seven days， Maali！Moon 3: in this moon we encounter the alarming phrase “for the next few days” and it seems the passage of time in this moon has to be around a week or so actuallyMoon 5: You only have two more days， Maali！Eh， what’s going on here。 Internal consistency may not be the novel’s strong suit， which is too bad as I’m pretty fond of internal consistency in a novel， but it does have much else going for it。 。。。more

Lavi ，

The genius of this book far exceeds what I am capable of expressing。 It is the first book I have ever read about Sri Lanka and it does the greatest of honours to my favourite genre， which is magical realism。 It is at once painful and emotional， it inspired me， made me cry， made me rage， made me feel righteous and disgusted at the same time。 It is a great celebration of religion， culture， history， but this celebration is framed in tough social and political commentary which makes this book seem o The genius of this book far exceeds what I am capable of expressing。 It is the first book I have ever read about Sri Lanka and it does the greatest of honours to my favourite genre， which is magical realism。 It is at once painful and emotional， it inspired me， made me cry， made me rage， made me feel righteous and disgusted at the same time。 It is a great celebration of religion， culture， history， but this celebration is framed in tough social and political commentary which makes this book seem of a different century， an intellectual， non-woke one， where discussions on race， sexual orientation， colonialism， class and violence were held by people with education and value， not with blue hair and valley girl voice inflections。Maali Almeida is gay， but he is not， in my very straight opinion， built in the vein of modern media lgbt sensibilities， which is both refreshing and accurate。 He is simply gay， in a country and a time where this could very easily get you killed。 He is， according to the sensitivities of many， unlikeable， but I absolutely adored him， with his skewed morality， his cynicism and his believable weakness。 I respected Maali and I rooted for him in the only reality we saw him in: the In-Between。This novel also offers the best depiction of the Afterlife， inspired by numerous religions and mythologies， but made to resemble something unequivocally familiar to all: a bureaucratic office full of confused "clients"， sometimes helpful， sometimes not employees and the corner-lurking entities offering "alternative" processes and solutions。There is not a chapter of this story that did not impress me in one way， be it with descriptions of gorgeous Sri Lanka， depictions of war， genocides， tortures and bombings， social scenes of dubious ethics， political conversations， magical encounters， emotional endings or humorously cynical reinterpretations of history。The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a perfect book， from start to finish and it is the only one I had interest in off the entire Booker Prize list （the long and the short）。 I truly hope it wins and I truly hope it gets turned into a proper show because it would truly offer the different perspectives， racial and cultural diversity， and political discussions DONE RIGHT， as opposed to the lies that pathetic Hollywood have been force feeding us through trash and degeneracy for the past years。 。。。more

Adina ，

I am pausing this at 14% until the audiobook comes out on 1st of December。 I have a feeling it would work very well on that format。 I know it’s after the Booker winner is announced but that’s fine。

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