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However, once I got into the story it moved pretty quickly and was compelling. I did find myself skimming over some pieces and am sure I would get more on a second read or if I were more familiar with Sri Lankan culture.
(7hr 18min read)
Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Car accident, Murder, War, Classism
Honestly, this was amazing. There were some pacing problems in the middle section of the book, but the dark atmosphere was always present and the characters were so fleshed out.
Also, incredible cover!!
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, War
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Fatphobia, Racism, Kidnapping, Car accident, Alcohol, Colonisation
Definitely pushed me to educate myself on the history of Sri Lanka, though the book is accessible due to a cleverly placed letter describing political/resistance groups & their motivations. Found it hard to get my bearings early on, but that felt appropriate for a country steeped in war and conflict. The world is not straightforward and the plotting reflects that.
Do not expect the like the characters, they’re multifaceted and fascinating but deeply flawed. Using humour to mask personal pain and displaying problematic beliefs. A strong representation of internalised homophobia, with Maali rejecting labels in place of convoluted alternatives, despite claiming to be comfortable as he is and admittedly being very open about enjoying MLM experiences.
Guessed neither the whodunit nor the ending. Engaging, intelligent and turbulent - would recommend!
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Colonisation
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Suicide, Death of parent
I would suggest researching the Sri Lankan civil war for clarity on the discussion in the book.
I found it's depicted of powerlessness, resentment, war and moral ambiguity suffocating, upsetting, and raw. Both the characters and the world building was amazing although the writing style wasn't really for me. Despite this, I adored this book due to the immense level of reflection and awareness needed to understand it.
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
Minor: Animal death, Death, Car accident
The second person also had an interesting effect—it’s not entirely noticeable, but I do think some of the more 80s vulgar language was *only* jarring because of the second person audiobook. It certainly made sense with the characters. I do think reading the (non audio) book would be a very different experience. It seemed to be split in tone between reflecting on the character’s life and solving his murder. The reflective parts and exploration of the afterlife are more in line with something I would prefer in a non audiobook, but it didn’t quite tip into a character study. I don’t think the murderer was at all surprising, but I’m also not sure it was set up before the somewhat rapid resolution to the story.
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder
Moderate: War
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: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, War, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation
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