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laurafrances's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Torture, Suicide, Murder, Blood, War, Racism, Mental illness, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gun violence, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Genocide, and Confinement
Minor: Child death, Deadnaming, Alcohol, and Animal death
thisisfee's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Gore, Genocide, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Suicide, Murder, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
faduma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Ableism, Body horror, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Xenophobia, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Medical trauma
julesleigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Body horror, Genocide, Blood, Death, War, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual assault, Gore, Drug abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Hate crime, Alcohol, Gun violence, Fatphobia, Drug use, Cursing, Classism, and Animal death
bookishcori's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: War, Torture, Gun violence, Body horror, and Blood
laurenkimoto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I can understand why this won a Booker Prize and I can agree with that but overall wasn’t my favourite book.
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Colonisation, Confinement, Drug use, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, and Grief
issyd23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Giving major Cantik itu luka/Beauty is a wound vibes: magical realism at the height of violence of the civil war.
A must read for anyone wanting to know more about one of the bloodiest civil wars of the 20th century.
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Genocide, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Medical content, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Drug use, Mental illness, and War
booksonadventures's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
💫Gist: When war photographer Maali Almeida dies, he finds himself suspended in a purgatory, where he has seven moons to get his affairs in order and advance to the afterlife. Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple. As Maali struggles to remember how he died, his living friends rush to find and publish potentially explosive photos that expose corruption of NGOs, rebels, and the Sri Lankan divestment.
I have never read a book that more creatively encapsulates the impacts of colonization. As our macabre narrator floats around the afterlife, he illustrates the futility of moral superiority when the game has been rigged against you. From casino floors to guerilla war camps, how much control do we ever truly have over our own destiny? Not to suggest we should succumb to despair... but instead, find peace in a "pointless cause to live for" (and do as little harm as possible along the way).
Anyway, if your idea of coping with mortality is cracking jokes... this may be the book for you. Maali brings top-notch sarcastic humor and a promise that "the universe does not care what you do with your meat suit." Karunatilaka has a snappy and satirical writing style that spares no one from critique.
Bonus points for the introspection of Sri Lankan ethos, although our book club agreed we'd like more descriptions of the country itself!
Final thoughts: ❤️ Loved.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Homophobia, War, Suicide, Police brutality, and Murder
black_cat_iiix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, Infidelity, Gun violence, Addiction, Racism, Gore, Genocide, War, Police brutality, Death of parent, Torture, Homophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Mass/school shootings
natverse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Islamophobia, Homophobia, Blood, Genocide, Gun violence, Grief, Animal death, and Murder
This is the nature of this book, it's about death, grief and a lot of screwed up things in history in Sri Lanka, but it's also not shying away from these real things that would have happened.