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Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, War
Moderate: Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, Suicide, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Incest, Torture, Car accident
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, War
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Suicide, Kidnapping, Car accident
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, War
Moderate: Suicide
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Torture, Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Sexual harassment
Minor: Kidnapping
I quite enjoyed the writing style and the elements of magical realism. The narrative was challenging and even brutal at times, but very much captivating.
I have to admit that I generally struggle with unlikeable characters (especially if they are the main characters) but this is a rare case in which I actually appreciated all of these flawed and at times even unpleasant people, they felt very real and well-rounded in their portrayal.
I also liked that the story is deeply grounded in Sri Lankan history but the narration is not weighed down with long-winded explanatory paragraphs (which I really do not like in fiction as they stand out too much and interrupt the narrative flow), the reader has to pick up pieces of historical information as the narration progresses and/or do further reasearch by themself.
I also want to mention that the final revelation of Maali's fate left me completely stunned, I was speechless, floored, I still cannot believe it, it was truly a plot twist that I did not see coming and it landed like a punch to the stomach.
Some episodes/sections left me a bit perplexed
Because, on reflection, once you have seen your own face and recognized the color of your eyes, tasted the air and smelled the soil, drunk from the purest fountains and the dirtiest wells, that is the kindest thing you can say abut life. It's not nothing.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Slavery, Excrement, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Outing, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail