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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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Sexual harassment, War
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Colonisation
A lengthy but engaging and necessary read for the current modern century. Made me rethink humanity and life in general. Might reread this!
Graphic: Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, 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: 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
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: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Child death
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Murder, War
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation
«Non esistono animali più feroci degli esseri umani» e questo libro lo insegna più che bene, nelle contraddizioni storico-culturali di un paese così lontano ma narrato così bene dalla voce di Almeida.
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment