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Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
14 reviews
lydia_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, War, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia
Minor: Torture
issyd23's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Maali a bad bitch that came from Sri Lanka 3👻
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
potterpav's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this book was a weird one for me . the first part felt like dragging my feet through a river (going against the tide i suppose) but then it picked up abt 45% in . the plot was good although i felt it a bit rushed at times , esp toward the end , although i understood the book couldn’t go on forever . i also don’t rlly understand why he was so insistent on the negatives coming out when nothing even happened when it did .. maybe i just missed something though . overall it was a fun read but not one i’ll come back to in my daydreams i don’t think . after putting in the CWs it looks absolutely crazy but i guess it is lmao
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, War, Body horror, Gore, Child death, Death, Genocide, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Police brutality
Minor: Rape, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
nini23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
4.75
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida started its publishing life as Chats With The Dead released by Hamish Hamilton in 2020. When I was searching for it in 2021, that's the title it went by online which still was difficult to get a hold of. Fast forward a year and after being nominated and winning the Booker, access is so much easier. Thanks to W.W.Norton Company and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Halfway through this book, I switched to a finished published version for the easier to read format so any quotes in this review have been checked against the finalized version.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a Sri Lankan metaphysical political satire murder thriller. The protagonist, Malinda Albert Kabalana, born of a Sinhalese father and a half-Tamil, half-Burgher mother finds himself at the age of 35 in the land of the In Between. Also known as the Bardo in Buddhist belief, it is where one's soul goes to after death before the next life. Maali styles himself as "Photographer. Gambler. Slut." on his name card. We are given to understand that he has taken politically charged photographs such as that of the 1983 riots with an important government minister watching impassively. We join Maali in trying to figure out the bureaucratic inanities at In Between which involves going for a requisite "Ear Check"("the ears are karmic fingerprints" and "In them lie fossils of past lives and forgotten sins.") as well as finding out how many moons he has before heading to the River of Births.
Along the way of figuring out the mystery of his own murder, Maali encounters ghosts who have been disappeared, tortured, lynched, hanged, bombed, blown up by mines, assassinated. This is where some background knowledge of Sri Lankan history and politics is helpful, there’s some basic information in the book ostensibly for a newbie American journalist which also benefits non-Lankan readers. Prior to reading this book, I knew of the conflict between the Sinhalese Lions and Tamil Tigers in basic terms but this novel goes onto a deep dive of the JVP, LTTE, the ministers, state-sanctioned violence, the Indian peacekeeping forces, the Israeli and Pakistani arms dealers, the international community's culpability. It points to corruption, power concentration, unholy alliances, mob violence and hatred but also the countless lives lost and everyday suffering.
In the meantime, Maali's soul is also courted by the Mahakali, the devourer of souls. We also encounter yakas (demons) "yakas are made, not born, and each has a story that they no longer tell.The Cannibal Uncle was a Pettah bomb blast victim. The Feral Child was made to kill his uncles for the Tigers. The Sea Demon had been ragged to death at university. The Atheist Ghoul was a provincial councillor carved up by the JVP. Black Sari Lady lost five children to the war." Maali tries to figure out the hierarchy "‘Ghost, ghoul, preta, devil, yaka, demon." But as Maali's father tells a ten-year-old him "‘You know why the battle of good vs evil is so one-sided, Malin? Because evil is better organised, better equipped and better paid. It is not monsters or yakas or demons we should fear. Organised collectives of evil doers who think they are performing the work of the righteous. That is what should make us shudder.’" At the end, Maali himself tells us "Do not be afraid of demons; it is the living we should fear. Human horrors trump anything that Hollywood or the afterlife can conjure. Always remember this when you encounter a wild animal or a stray spirit. They are not as dangerous as you. Ghosts are afraid of other ghosts. And of you. And of the infinite nothing."
Amid the diverting asides about pangolins and the Sri Lankan flag and afterlife mythology, what stands out starkly is the scale of human suffering. In Buddhist terms known as samsara. Whether it's the Pettah bomb blast, the 1971 JVP purge, Black July, intolerance of homosexuals or nearby Indonesia's mass killings of communists in 1965, it's wearyingly clear that we humans are capable of committing horrific acts of violence against each other. While the novel does delve a bit into theological discussions ('‘Is God unable to stop evil? Or unwilling?’), the Mahakali forces Maali to admit "‘We have fucked it up . All by ourselves.’" With seven moons and the Light, our journey with snarky optimistic Maali has been both eye-opening and cynicism inducing.
Quotes:
"Lankans can’t queue. Unless you define a queue as an amorphous curve with multiple entry points."
"The afterlife is a tax office and everyone wants their rebate."
"We are a flicker of light between two long sleeps. Forget the fairy tales of gods and hells and previous births. Believe in odds and in fairness and in stacking decks that are already stacked, in playing your hand as best you can for as long as you can. You were led to believe that death was sweet oblivion and you were wrong on both counts."
"‘History is people with ships and weapons wiping out those who forgot to invent them. Every civilisation begins with a genocide. It is the rule of the universe. The immutable law of the jungle, even this one made of concrete. You can see it in the movement of the stars, and in the dance of every atom. The rich will enslave the penniless. The strong will crush the weak.’"
"‘Hindu disciplines mention brahmacharya and fidelity but no rape . Buddhism’s kaamesu michch charya doesn’t specify rape. Islam forbids bacon, foreskin and gambling. But no rape.’
‘Laws are written by men,’..."
"Despair always begins as a snack that you nibble on when bored and then becomes a meal that you have thrice a day."
"Despite all speeches made to the contrary, the naked bodies of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers are indistinguishable. We all look the same when held to the flame."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/18/jokes-rob-the-tyrant-of-power-booker-winner-shehan-karunatilaka-on-war-writing-and-why-sri-lankans-smile
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a Sri Lankan metaphysical political satire murder thriller. The protagonist, Malinda Albert Kabalana, born of a Sinhalese father and a half-Tamil, half-Burgher mother finds himself at the age of 35 in the land of the In Between. Also known as the Bardo in Buddhist belief, it is where one's soul goes to after death before the next life. Maali styles himself as "Photographer. Gambler. Slut." on his name card. We are given to understand that he has taken politically charged photographs such as that of the 1983 riots with an important government minister watching impassively. We join Maali in trying to figure out the bureaucratic inanities at In Between which involves going for a requisite "Ear Check"("the ears are karmic fingerprints" and "In them lie fossils of past lives and forgotten sins.") as well as finding out how many moons he has before heading to the River of Births.
Along the way of figuring out the mystery of his own murder, Maali encounters ghosts who have been disappeared, tortured, lynched, hanged, bombed, blown up by mines, assassinated. This is where some background knowledge of Sri Lankan history and politics is helpful, there’s some basic information in the book ostensibly for a newbie American journalist which also benefits non-Lankan readers. Prior to reading this book, I knew of the conflict between the Sinhalese Lions and Tamil Tigers in basic terms but this novel goes onto a deep dive of the JVP, LTTE, the ministers, state-sanctioned violence, the Indian peacekeeping forces, the Israeli and Pakistani arms dealers, the international community's culpability. It points to corruption, power concentration, unholy alliances, mob violence and hatred but also the countless lives lost and everyday suffering.
In the meantime, Maali's soul is also courted by the Mahakali, the devourer of souls. We also encounter yakas (demons) "yakas are made, not born, and each has a story that they no longer tell.The Cannibal Uncle was a Pettah bomb blast victim. The Feral Child was made to kill his uncles for the Tigers. The Sea Demon had been ragged to death at university. The Atheist Ghoul was a provincial councillor carved up by the JVP. Black Sari Lady lost five children to the war." Maali tries to figure out the hierarchy "‘Ghost, ghoul, preta, devil, yaka, demon." But as Maali's father tells a ten-year-old him "‘You know why the battle of good vs evil is so one-sided, Malin? Because evil is better organised, better equipped and better paid. It is not monsters or yakas or demons we should fear. Organised collectives of evil doers who think they are performing the work of the righteous. That is what should make us shudder.’" At the end, Maali himself tells us "Do not be afraid of demons; it is the living we should fear. Human horrors trump anything that Hollywood or the afterlife can conjure. Always remember this when you encounter a wild animal or a stray spirit. They are not as dangerous as you. Ghosts are afraid of other ghosts. And of you. And of the infinite nothing."
Amid the diverting asides about pangolins and the Sri Lankan flag and afterlife mythology, what stands out starkly is the scale of human suffering. In Buddhist terms known as samsara. Whether it's the Pettah bomb blast, the 1971 JVP purge, Black July, intolerance of homosexuals or nearby Indonesia's mass killings of communists in 1965, it's wearyingly clear that we humans are capable of committing horrific acts of violence against each other. While the novel does delve a bit into theological discussions ('‘Is God unable to stop evil? Or unwilling?’), the Mahakali forces Maali to admit "‘We have fucked it up . All by ourselves.’" With seven moons and the Light, our journey with snarky optimistic Maali has been both eye-opening and cynicism inducing.
Quotes:
"Lankans can’t queue. Unless you define a queue as an amorphous curve with multiple entry points."
"The afterlife is a tax office and everyone wants their rebate."
"We are a flicker of light between two long sleeps. Forget the fairy tales of gods and hells and previous births. Believe in odds and in fairness and in stacking decks that are already stacked, in playing your hand as best you can for as long as you can. You were led to believe that death was sweet oblivion and you were wrong on both counts."
"‘History is people with ships and weapons wiping out those who forgot to invent them. Every civilisation begins with a genocide. It is the rule of the universe. The immutable law of the jungle, even this one made of concrete. You can see it in the movement of the stars, and in the dance of every atom. The rich will enslave the penniless. The strong will crush the weak.’"
"‘Hindu disciplines mention brahmacharya and fidelity but no rape . Buddhism’s kaamesu michch charya doesn’t specify rape. Islam forbids bacon, foreskin and gambling. But no rape.’
‘Laws are written by men,’..."
"Despair always begins as a snack that you nibble on when bored and then becomes a meal that you have thrice a day."
"Despite all speeches made to the contrary, the naked bodies of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers are indistinguishable. We all look the same when held to the flame."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/18/jokes-rob-the-tyrant-of-power-booker-winner-shehan-karunatilaka-on-war-writing-and-why-sri-lankans-smile
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Religious bigotry, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, War, and Genocide
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