You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
akellasahithi 's review for:
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
by Shehan Karunatilaka
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story is one of the most innovative, fascinating and gutwrenching ones I have ever had the pleasure to read. Would absolutely recommend everyone to read it.
The protagonist, Maali, finds himself dead, waking up in a waiting room of dead souls. The story follows him trying to figure out the cause of his death before time runs out. This setting, with a second person narrative from the perspective of Maali, truly lets you step into and live in his shoes. The fact that he's a ghost also allows for some interesting scenes to take place.
I'm not going to give away more about the story itself but what I loved about it was the way it tackled heavy themes like war and being queer in a developing country. The novel captures the essence of these experiences in a humourous way without making them comedic.
On a more meta note, I really appreciated that the author did not sanitise/glorify/exoticisd Sri Lanka or Sri Lankan customs to suit the tastes of foreign audiences. As an Indian who reads some Indian fiction written in English, it sometimes feels like the books are written for and marketed towards Western audiences which ultimately ends up exoticising the country. This book thankfully did not fall into that trap.
The protagonist, Maali, finds himself dead, waking up in a waiting room of dead souls. The story follows him trying to figure out the cause of his death before time runs out. This setting, with a second person narrative from the perspective of Maali, truly lets you step into and live in his shoes. The fact that he's a ghost also allows for some interesting scenes to take place.
I'm not going to give away more about the story itself but what I loved about it was the way it tackled heavy themes like war and being queer in a developing country. The novel captures the essence of these experiences in a humourous way without making them comedic.
On a more meta note, I really appreciated that the author did not sanitise/glorify/exoticisd Sri Lanka or Sri Lankan customs to suit the tastes of foreign audiences. As an Indian who reads some Indian fiction written in English, it sometimes feels like the books are written for and marketed towards Western audiences which ultimately ends up exoticising the country. This book thankfully did not fall into that trap.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence, Murder, War