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The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

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  • Create Date：2022-10-21 00:51:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Shehan Karunatilaka
  • ISBN：1914502078
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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

Anna ，

I started reading this one by chance and then it won the Booker Prize before I finished。 Parts of it are witty and surreal which makes it easier to bear the brutality - this is fiction but the history of Sri Lanka is real and Maali （the protagonist） photographed a country at war internally - and the very human mess of a life Maali leaves behind。 Parts can be slow while some parts flow faster just like in life， and apparently here， in death。 He deals with ghouls， the mess in his homeland and the I started reading this one by chance and then it won the Booker Prize before I finished。 Parts of it are witty and surreal which makes it easier to bear the brutality - this is fiction but the history of Sri Lanka is real and Maali （the protagonist） photographed a country at war internally - and the very human mess of a life Maali leaves behind。 Parts can be slow while some parts flow faster just like in life， and apparently here， in death。 He deals with ghouls， the mess in his homeland and the boy he left behind him as well as a best friend （neither whom can see him） and the nice Helpers who want him to step into the Light。 。。。more

Yara ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Where to start with this crazy， exuberant metaphysical whodunnit which is part murder mystery， part comedy？Imagine combining brownies， trifle and doughnuts into one single cake and you might get the idea。But Karunatilaka mixes diff genres so deftly that you end up with a rich， satisfying novel， rather than an overstuffed one。The opening of the book sets the slightly absurd tone。 It starts in the afterlife， which turns out to be bureaucratic and banal。It then flips back and forth between the unde Where to start with this crazy， exuberant metaphysical whodunnit which is part murder mystery， part comedy？Imagine combining brownies， trifle and doughnuts into one single cake and you might get the idea。But Karunatilaka mixes diff genres so deftly that you end up with a rich， satisfying novel， rather than an overstuffed one。The opening of the book sets the slightly absurd tone。 It starts in the afterlife， which turns out to be bureaucratic and banal。It then flips back and forth between the underworld and the real world during the Sri Lankan civil war in 1990 as Almeida tries to work out who killed him - and why。 。。。more

Yohani Block ，

I wouldn't have read a story based on ghosts， had it not been related to the civil war in Sri Lanka。 Very interesting read though I found it to be a bit slow paced in the mid chapters。 A beautiful narrative。 A horrifying plot。 The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - the winner of the Booker Prize 2022 （an extremely important win for Sri Lanka）; I hope this book will be translated to Sinhala and Tamil for more Sri Lankans to be able to read and know this story！ I wouldn't have read a story based on ghosts， had it not been related to the civil war in Sri Lanka。 Very interesting read though I found it to be a bit slow paced in the mid chapters。 A beautiful narrative。 A horrifying plot。 The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - the winner of the Booker Prize 2022 （an extremely important win for Sri Lanka）; I hope this book will be translated to Sinhala and Tamil for more Sri Lankans to be able to read and know this story！ 。。。more

Kristin | ktlee。writes ，

Yesterday， my spine tingled over the announcement that THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA by Shehan Karunatilaka won the 2022 Booker Prize。 I just finished it over the weekend and it managed to edge out GLORY and THE TREES for my favorite of the shortlisted books。 I suppose now is the moment for a full review！SEVEN MOONS follows the titular character after he’s just died in Sri Lanka in 1990 under mysterious circumstances and awakens in the afterlife。 He learns that he has seven days to decide whe Yesterday， my spine tingled over the announcement that THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA by Shehan Karunatilaka won the 2022 Booker Prize。 I just finished it over the weekend and it managed to edge out GLORY and THE TREES for my favorite of the shortlisted books。 I suppose now is the moment for a full review！SEVEN MOONS follows the titular character after he’s just died in Sri Lanka in 1990 under mysterious circumstances and awakens in the afterlife。 He learns that he has seven days to decide whether to proceed to “The Light” or else remain in this purgatory-like in-between state forever。 Over the next week， he tries to piece together how he died， how to get his photographs （incriminating several powerful people） into the right hands， and whether he should indeed choose The Light or stay in The In-Between。 Maali is such a fascinating character: photographer of Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war， gambling addict， semi-closeted gay man in an unaccepting society， not a stellar son or friend， but with a strong conscience about some things。 The character development of both Maali and the supporting cast was one of the things that made SEVEN MOONS stand out over my other shortlisted faves （GLORY and THE TREES）。 The writing is excellent。 Karunatilaka weaves in gambling analogies and imagery， employs clever satire without going too dark or callous， and meticulously builds suspense such that the ante keeps growing。 It did take me a little over 10% of the book to start getting into it， but I’d encourage you to give it a chance despite the slow start。 The thematic explorations are well-done and sometimes surprising， and the mix of both political and personal concerns was exquisite。 There’s a better-defined plot than in GLORY and the ending is more satisfying than in THE TREES。Lastly， it’s such an intriguing window into a time and place with which most readers are unfamiliar。 I had only vague notions of Sri Lanka’s history prior to this book， despite reading Anuk Arudpragasam’s A PASSAGE NORTH earlier this year， but SEVEN MOONS gave me a lot more context and understanding in a way that didn’t feel pedantic。I’d recommend this one widely; even though it’s not all easy reading， it’s so rewarding。 Fans of satire will definitely like this， and even if you’re not， it may just be that you haven’t read the right one （I thought I didn’t like satire until I read SEVEN MOONS， GLORY， and THE TREES – all of which do it much better than some other booksta faves in the genre）。 There’s a tender human element to this one that I loved， and I hope you will， too。 It reminded me of George Saunders’ LINCOLN IN THE BARDO （which I also highly recommend！） and Karunatilaka actually named that one as one of his influences， so that would be a fun （and moving） pairing。 。。。more

Mary Pimbblet ，

This is all a bit too magical for my taste。 It's written from the point of view of a dead war photographer， who has to try and navigate through purgatory while trying to save his photos that show how corrupt politicians were involved in the 1983 killings in Sri Lanka。 Maali himself is an interesting character， a gay， gambling photographer with a sense of humour。 His attempts to find out what happened to him， and to help his friends to find his missing photographs are brilliantly chaotic。 It all This is all a bit too magical for my taste。 It's written from the point of view of a dead war photographer， who has to try and navigate through purgatory while trying to save his photos that show how corrupt politicians were involved in the 1983 killings in Sri Lanka。 Maali himself is an interesting character， a gay， gambling photographer with a sense of humour。 His attempts to find out what happened to him， and to help his friends to find his missing photographs are brilliantly chaotic。 It all becomes a bit too chaotic at times though。 Trying to follow the huge number of characters and their political affiliations is really tricky， and sometimes felt unnecessary。 The story does become more linear and easy to follow as it progresses though， and I did find myself emotionally involved with some of the characters by the end。Magical realism isn't my favourite genre， but this is an interesting way to communicate the terrible mess of Sri Lankan history。 It really cleverly shows the problems that Sri Lanka has， in a way that is softened by humour， and gives the reader hope for the future。 。。。more

Viola ，

Sri Lankan novelist Shehan Karunatilaka has won the 2022 Booker Prize for his second novel， The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida。The win couldn’t come at a better time for Sri Lanka， a country once more engaged in political and economic instability， as it suffers through one of the world’s worst economic crises， with soaring inflation， food and fuel shortages， and low supplies of foreign reserves。 And of course， the government was overthrown in July， after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled following Sri Lankan novelist Shehan Karunatilaka has won the 2022 Booker Prize for his second novel， The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida。The win couldn’t come at a better time for Sri Lanka， a country once more engaged in political and economic instability， as it suffers through one of the world’s worst economic crises， with soaring inflation， food and fuel shortages， and low supplies of foreign reserves。 And of course， the government was overthrown in July， after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled following mass protests。Karunatilaka said in his acceptance speech:“My hope for Seven Moons is this; that in the not-too-distant future， 10 years， as long as it takes， Sri Lanka […] has understood that these ideas of corruption and race-baiting and cronyism have not worked and will never work。”Political black comedyKarunatilaka’s novel is extraordinary – and hard to pin down。 It is at once a black comedy about the afterlife， a murder mystery whodunit， and a political satire set against the violent backdrop of the late-1980s Sri Lankan civil war。 It is also a story of love and redemption。Malinda “Maali” Kabalana， a closeted war photographer， wakes up dead in what seems to be a celestial waiting room。 The setting will be familiar to many who’ve spent time in Colombo （as I have – it’s where my husband’s family is from）。 We open in a busy， bureaucratic office， filled with confusion， noise， a propensity against queuing – and a healthy dose of “gallows” humour。 In other words， Maali is in some sort of purgatory。Maali soon discovers he has seven days – seven moons – to solve his own murder。 This isn’t easy – he is interrupted by sardonic ghosts （often with grudges， questionable motives， and a tendency towards extreme chattiness）， the violent reality of war-torn Colombo， and piecing together his memories of who he was。He also has seven moons to lead his official girlfriend and his secret boyfriend to a cache of photographs， taken over time， which document the horror of the war – and incriminate local and foreign governments。Karunatilaka’s subject matter and plot highlight， question and explore Sri Lanka’s legacy – and its continued， difficult relationship with its civil war， which spanned 1983 to 2009， though the reverberations continue。 And his novel’s provocative， intimate， second-person style implicates us – the readers。Karunatilaka has mastered his craft as a novelist。 He never once wavers from a second-person perspective that might be unwieldy （perhaps even gimmicky） in a lesser writer’s hands。 The novel tells us， “Don’t try and look for the good guys， ‘cause there ain’t none”。It realises a combined responsibility for the tragedy of that 25-year civil war， in which the country’s colonial history is also implicated。 British colonialists brought Tamil workers from South India to Sri Lanka， to work as indentured labourers on their coffee， tea and rubber plantations。 Their descendants’ fight for an independent Tamil state was a strong component of the civil war。Diffusing violence with humourAs a novelist and lover of second-person narration and a long-time follower of Karuntailaka’s accomplished work， I couldn’t be more delighted by this Booker win。I first came across Karunatilaka through his debut novel， Chinaman， which was handed to me by my sister-in-law several years ago on a family visit to Colombo。 That book taught me about cricket， but it also taught me the sardonic brilliance of Sri Lankan humour。Karunatilaka once again uses humour to great effect in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida – to diffuse confronting moments of violence， to engage his reader， and for pure enjoyment。 This novel follows a murder victim through a bloody civil war – and it’s laugh-out-loud funny。It’s also a tighter， more focused book than Chinaman: here is an author in control of his craft and what he wants to say with it。 The Booker judges， too， praised the “scope and the skill， the daring， the audacity and hilarity” of the book。Karunatilaka’s winning novel took time to write。 Ten years have passed since Chinaman。 His skilful use of craft to tell this complicated story is testament to the idea that good books take the time they need: something that all authors know but publishers are not always willing to accept。 However， Karunatilaka has been busy in that ten years， not just writing literary fiction， but writing for children – and having a family。 The 47-year-old is now married with two kids。Karunatilaka is only the second Sri Lankan novelist to have won the Booker Prize。 （The first was Michael Ondaatje in 1992 for The English Patient。） But last year， his countryman Anuk Arudpragasam was also shortlisted， for A Passage North， another accomplished novel set in the aftermath of the civil war。I’m excited by what this means for Sri Lankan authors and the Sri Lankan publishing scene。 Here is a country with stories to tell and enormous skill to tell them with: let’s hope this leads to more Sri Lankan novels achieving wide readership， success and deserved acclaim。- Lucy Christopher @TheConversation October 2022。（Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing， University of Tasman） 。。。more

Harry Rajapakse ，

HELL YEAH SHAHAN KARUNATHILAKE！！ 2022 booker price winner。 My Sri Lankan heart is jumping from joy！ tremendous milestone of SL literature， cant wait to get my hands on it

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 ，

Now the winner of the 2022 Booker PrizeI have to admit that when this made the longlist for the Booker， I wasn't very interested。 Somewhere between it making the shortlist and it 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 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 times， but you know what？ Sometimes you just Now the winner of the 2022 Booker PrizeI have to admit that when this made the longlist for the Booker， I wasn't very interested。 Somewhere between it making the shortlist and it 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 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 times， 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 with its bureaucratic red tape and jaded workers。 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。 An apt description would be Beetlejuice if Salman Rushdie had written 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 when 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 Treacle Walker， so I may not be qualified to 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

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