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A review by jaimeeslitlife
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
"You wake up with the answer to the question that everyone asks. The answer is Yes, and the answer is Just Like Here But Worse."
Meet Maali Almeida: War photographer, gambler, and closeted gay man. Maali wakes in the unique position of being both victim and sleuth in the case of his murder. THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA takes place in the midst of bloody, war-torn Sri Lanka, and while this story is brutal, it is also chaotically tender and beautiful.
Karunatilaka's writing is exquisite but it did take a minute to wrap my head around - at about 30 pages in I took a deep breath and started over, and after that I felt like I had a much better grasp on what was happening and how the writing flowed. This is a story full of complexities and uncertainties. Life and (at times unsettling) humor exist in the same place as death and horror. There are no 'good guys' - every side thinks their war is justified, and everyone is corrupt. Maali's surreal journey over his seven moons is full of witnessing and sharing and forgetting and losing through memory and photography.
SEVEN MOONS is a mystery, an exposé, a gay love story, and a story about humanity told by someone who is no longer human. This is a tremendous read that I am sure I will revisit and continue to think about for a long time.
Meet Maali Almeida: War photographer, gambler, and closeted gay man. Maali wakes in the unique position of being both victim and sleuth in the case of his murder. THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA takes place in the midst of bloody, war-torn Sri Lanka, and while this story is brutal, it is also chaotically tender and beautiful.
Karunatilaka's writing is exquisite but it did take a minute to wrap my head around - at about 30 pages in I took a deep breath and started over, and after that I felt like I had a much better grasp on what was happening and how the writing flowed. This is a story full of complexities and uncertainties. Life and (at times unsettling) humor exist in the same place as death and horror. There are no 'good guys' - every side thinks their war is justified, and everyone is corrupt. Maali's surreal journey over his seven moons is full of witnessing and sharing and forgetting and losing through memory and photography.
SEVEN MOONS is a mystery, an exposé, a gay love story, and a story about humanity told by someone who is no longer human. This is a tremendous read that I am sure I will revisit and continue to think about for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War