Review by paddles1704 - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

paddles1704 's review for:

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

4.75

challenging dark funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I listened to the audiobook version of this, read by Shivantha Wijesinha, and although it was read brilliantly and gave an authentic accent to the language, I wish I had read this book on paper. There was quite a lot going on, and I wish I had been able to read over some passages a few times, or go back to check an event that was mentioned later. Set over the course of seven days, it follows the story of Maali as he tries to figure out why he has died, flashing backwards to the events leading up to his death and reflections on his career as a photojournalist. It includes real events from history from a fictional perspective, often including disturbing or heartbreaking vignettes.

I could easily recommend this to anyone interested in political history, Sri Lanka, magical realism or something unusual and out of the box; however, I wouldn't have classified myself as any of those categories, but I was still gripped from beginning to end.

Content Warnings