The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

By: Shehan Karunatilaka

Narrated by: Shivantha Wijesinha

Winner of the Booker Prize, 2022

Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida, war photographer, gambler and closet queen, has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the Beira Lake and he has no idea who killed him. At a time when scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts who cluster around him can attest.

But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has seven moons to try and contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos that will rock Sri Lanka.

2022, Booker Prize, Winner

2023, British Book Awards (The Nibbies) Audiobook: Fiction, Short-listed

©2022 Shehan Karunatilaka (P)2022 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"Karunatilaka has a real lightness of touch." (The Observer)

"Celebrate the arrival of the Great Sri Lankan Novel." (The Times)

Moving but not easy to listen to

An exceptional combination of harrowing history, otherworldly images dark humor and a murder mystery. Something like a cross between The Sympathizer and Lincoln in the Bardo. Highly recommended.

Learning a lot about Sri Lanka

It was a very entertaining book, with interesting features and characters. It was fun to get to know much more about Sri Lanka. The readers voice was very good and due to his Sri Lanka accent he gave additional life to the story. it is a philosophical book but also a political book. I truly enjoyed it.

What an amazing story!

Something completely different! Having visited Sri Lanka several times I have been well aware of the political problems so this book really hit home.

Tragic and gripping and even a bit magical

This has been one of my best listens. I'd now like to get the book so I can stay with the words a bit longer. The narrator was brilliant.

Brilliant

Essential, particularly for those who want to know about Sri Lanka’s recent history. A riveting account of an avoidable disaster which happened in a country whose intricate history has lasted more than 3000 years.