The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is probably one of the most powerful books I read this year. It won the Man Booker award last year, and so automatically got added to my TBR list.
About The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida
This book is about Maali Almeida, son of a Sinhalese father and a Eurasian Burgher mother, who is killed but knows not how. He rides the passage from the living dead into the world of the living, back and forth, to learn of his death and must cross seven moons before his time is up. He will then meet the Light in the Beira river or ride the Mahakali demon in return for the three whispers he is allowed and be damned to hell. He must choose wisely.
Book Review
Just reading this synopsis must have given you an idea of the type of book it is. The story merges Sri Lankan mythology, fantasy, and politics (during the war-torn times of the 1990s). Such a story is bound to be unsettling, difficult, violent, and disturbing. And yes, it’s all of them.
During his short life, Maali Almeida, on the surface, is a feckless gay fuckboi – always looking for the next sexual fling or risky adventure. However, underneath that, there is a deep sadness at the state of his country and a wish to correct the wrongs he witnesses.
The story, however, deals with Maali dead – and his soul trying to make sense of his life and how he died. He has seven moons (nights?) to investigate his death and get justice. Along the way, he has to deal with strange characters (derived from Sri Lankan and Hindu mythology). There is a Crow Man, a Mahakali (swallower of souls), and many other secondary ghosts and demons (some friendly, some not) along the way.
The novel is very confusing, but along the way, it starts to make sense, and all the random pieces start to connect. I read it a lot slower than my usual pace, and that’s because the book is quite detailed and lengthy in terms of descriptions.
There are many conflicting reviews about this book on the web. I think people may not relate to it if they aren’t familiar with the history or the context. Even knowing the background, I did have to do a fair bit of googling. I watched a few YouTube videos about the civil war, and it definitely helped me put things into perspective.
If you’re in the mood for something a little harder and a little unusual, if you read and enjoyed Black Leopard Red Wolf, or if you don’t mind books where you may not understand everything, then this book is for you.
So, yes, definitely not an easy read. But worth every bit of the effort I put in it. I think it thoroughly deserved the Booker Prize!
This book is definitely on my list, your review made it sound even more interesting.