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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I feel bad faulting this book for something that is so totally my fault. I had a hard time following the narration of the book which hindered my enjoyment. Other than that though, the concept of the novel and the topics touched upon are pretty solid.
Perhaps I will try re-reading it one day. I truly feel like I should have loved it more.
Perhaps I will try re-reading it one day. I truly feel like I should have loved it more.
Shehan Karunatilaka wrote an excellent novel intersecting the public and the private sphere of a war photographer in Sri Lanka. Sometimes dispensing common knowledge, other times a little wisdom. The ending felt a little sappy, but considering all that had come to pass, it’s understandable. All in all, a solid effort.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
i will start off by saying that the prose is wonderful and i really enjoyed the use of second person
honestly, i think this probably deserves more like a 4, but going into it knowing no sri lankan history and only the basics of south asian religion and folk lore i just constantly felt like the story was going over my head. which, i admit, is totally my fault. that being said, it has A LOT of characters and you do need to remember basically all of them and their relations to each other. i feel like if it either focused on fewer characters, or i’d had more background knowledge going in, it would have been much easier to follow - but the combination of both left me feeling a bit lost most of the time.
but i could tell this was a problem mostly with my knowledge, not with the book itself. i may revisit eventually it after doing some background reading.
honestly, i think this probably deserves more like a 4, but going into it knowing no sri lankan history and only the basics of south asian religion and folk lore i just constantly felt like the story was going over my head. which, i admit, is totally my fault. that being said, it has A LOT of characters and you do need to remember basically all of them and their relations to each other. i feel like if it either focused on fewer characters, or i’d had more background knowledge going in, it would have been much easier to follow - but the combination of both left me feeling a bit lost most of the time.
but i could tell this was a problem mostly with my knowledge, not with the book itself. i may revisit eventually it after doing some background reading.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
i liked this. it had really great use of second person, which made things more engaging imo. maali is such a great character in that he was messy in life (lol) but overall well guided and intentioned in the afterlife i think. there’s an interesting mix of wit, history, and reality that comes through from the way the story is told.
i didn’t really know much about Sri Lanka’s history before reading this, so i appreciated how it laid out dynamics and historical context without feeling overly explained.
my only meh with this was the pacing. it was a little weird towards the middle and right towards the end it lost steam for me. that being said i did like the ending, it felt very full circle.
i didn’t really know much about Sri Lanka’s history before reading this, so i appreciated how it laid out dynamics and historical context without feeling overly explained.
my only meh with this was the pacing. it was a little weird towards the middle and right towards the end it lost steam for me. that being said i did like the ending, it felt very full circle.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A magical realism romp. I wonder how it would be as an audio book.
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book brought so much to the table including historical events and figures, realistic world views from many perspectives, an lgbt story, a morally complex protagonist, and many more interesting facets. I loved the portrayal of the after life, a very different concept than what I’ve heard of before. The story had some aspects which moved me emotionally, but I can’t say that I would feel completely sad or completely happy in those moments; it was usually a mix of both, which just further pushed the book’s theme of moving forward and letting go.
A tip for future readers: it may be useful to you to keep a list of characters, because there are so many that you’re introduced to and many of them are very prominent throughout the story.
A tip for future readers: it may be useful to you to keep a list of characters, because there are so many that you’re introduced to and many of them are very prominent throughout the story.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolutely fabulous audiobook version, the main character was so charming and funny, even though the subject matter is at times horrific it didn't feel like hard going.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes