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Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, War
Moderate: Slavery, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder
The tone was kind of…. confusing. It was both extremely dark and gruesome, but also very vivid and atmospheric? It contains a lot of Sri Lankan mythical imagery that (again) was unfamiliar, including a villainous goddess called the Mahakali that I thought was just a monster for most of the book.
The main character, Maali is complex and morally ambiguous. Overconfident, incredibly horny, and prone to attention seeking behaviors, he is both unlikable and yet somehow relatable. It is amazing that he can compartmentalize hiding his sexuality, loving his partner, and cheating on him at the same time.
Overall, this is not a light read, nor is it for the faint of heart. The explicit and graphic nature of Sri Lanka in the 80s is near impossible for me to comprehend, and yet this story gave me an insight into the visceral horrors. My favorite parts were about the mysterious Crow Man and Maali’s oblivious best friends who yet want to uncover the truth.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Sexual content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Rape
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
It is beautifully written though. I thought the second-person perspective might be jarring but I was wrong - it feels so right for this story. Even with the fantastical concept, this is also really strong historical fiction, as the historical context is woven in so well.
Graphic: Death, Gore, War
Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida follows (in 2nd person, which is less frustrating once you get used to it) a dead war photographer in the middle of the Sri Lankan civil war trying to piece together the details of his death, which he can’t remember. Through all this he navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife and the factions of the undead, and there is a ticking clock after which he must enter the light or remain a ghost.
There is a dreamlike, hallucinatory tone that’s poetic and harrowing and dryly funny. This book is dense and packed with information. At a few points I missed details and had to reread sections, but those sections were so pleasant and interesting to read that I didn’t mind. In fact, I could probably read this book twice and pick out all sorts of things I missed the first time around and enjoy it just as much.
If you don’t want a dark or challenging read, this isn’t for you. There is a lot of war horror and body horror in here, among both the living and the dead. There are numerous factions, all with their own acronyms and atrocities. The characters are lovable but deeply flawed, and the protagonist is a closeted gay man who cheats on his partner. The narrative moves from one place to another and back again, interweaving threads in a not entirely linear way.
Personally I found it gripping and informative. I found it both funny and sad, meditative and suspenseful, beautiful and terrifying, philosophical and cynical and hopeful at the same time. At some points I felt like I was on a rollercoasting moving through a whirlwind of emotions and experiences so quickly that I could barely parse them but enjoying every moment.
I’ve certainly never read anything like it.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Torture, Car accident
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief
Minor: Animal death
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail