A review by mayaism_01
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • 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? It's complicated

3.5

This was a very mixed reading experience for me, everything regarding the conflict happening in Sri Lanka at the time this book is set is incredibly interesting, and the writing style was vibrant, lush with details, with lots of poetic musing on life and death. Though I think the writing style and crammed plot made the overall pacing of the novel very slow. The story would flip-flop from interesting dialogues and history to plot points and characters (like Sena) that are connected to the overarching story but don’t provide enough substance to be actually interesting or engaging. I can’t stand slow pacing so that really cut my enjoyment of this book in half but overall the story, characters, and reflections within this novel are definitely worth the read. 
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