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Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Torture, Murder
Graphic: Death, Torture, War
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence, War
Moderate: Torture
I haven't seen ghosts, spirits and demons depicted in this way before. It's quite a fresh take as a way of unpacking a life lived alongside people who are responsible for huge amounts of human (and animal) suffering and bloodshed. As a person who rationalises his position taking pictures of heinous bloodshed, in the hopes that he can ruin the reputations of warmongers and bring end to conflict, he is both naïve and reckless.
As a retrospective, 40 years gives just about enough time between now and then for a look back at the political forces at play in Sri Lanka. The foreword is specific about it being a work of fiction, but certain contextual things are irrefutable history. Unpacking some of the ideas about racial frictions in the area, of the colonization and brutalization from various powers, over hundreds of years are myriad angry and frustrated or power-hungry spirits, some of whom plan revenge, or just hate on the living. They are cutting and profane in their expressions of contempt for living people and the history they have endured.
All this is counterpointed by some young dumb 20somethings – a rich jock brat, and his cousin and flatmate, a goth girl with a cynical outlook and artsy friends.
Maali has to decide whether he will go toward the light; will he stick around on Earth as an eternal spirit, remember past lives, or forget everything and be reborn.. will he trade his strength to the demons to get special powers allowing him to affect living humans!.. and are the nasty looking apparitions trying to trick him, or are the clean, white clad "Helpers" the ones who are stringing him along?
Cool book, but a bit hard going if you aren't ok with war reporting. Interesting revelations near the end and a fairly satisfying ending. Worth a read
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury
- Clever premise & interesting ideas about non-meaning of life
- Meditation on impact of civil war & whether it is better to seek justice or attempt to forget & move on
- Slow-paced and quite abstract so not easy to read - also felt there was a high entry level of knowledge about the Sri Lankan civil war
- Unlikeable narrator made it difficult to sympathise at first but over time became invested in him as a complicated, morally grey character
- Skilled book technically e.g. use of second person very intentional
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Homophobia, Torture
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Hate crime, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, War
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Deadnaming, Alcohol
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism