The story starts off with a dead protagonist, on top of all of that, so you know it’s going to be dark. Maali Almeida is a war photographer and itinerant gambler, a closeted gay man at a time and a country when queer identities were infused with trauma and pain.

The story is set in 1990 Sri Lanka in a Colombo wracked by ethnic conflict, corruption and bloody civil war. Even grimdark fantasy doesn’t hold a candle to the horrors of real life infused with the supernatural realm. And tell your book-loving friends, who might not have heard of us.“The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” by Shehan Karunatilaka was a difficult book to read and I expected nothing less.

If you'd like to support us, please do take a moment to rate and review the show, which helps us reach new listeners. If you enjoyed this episode catch up with our original take on The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida when we discussed it as part of our Booker Prize special episode.įor reviews and recommendations between episodes come and find us over on Instagram on Twitter or email us at we always love to hear from you. Howes and all three are available via your preferred audiobook retailer or library app. The audiobook of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is published by Bolinda Digital (P) Bolinda Publishing 2022, My Phantoms is published by Granta Audio and Eight Months on Ghazzah Street is published by W.F. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy We also have a range of recommendations for follow-ons to try, or to read with your book club. The real question, it seems, when reading Hilary Mantel is 'why would you ever read anyone else?' Listen in to find out just what it was Laura's group loved so much. Next we consider Eight Months on Ghazzah Street, a lesser-known work from Hilary Mantel. What's all the fuss about? And did Laura's book club agree it was worth the read? The first is My Phantoms, the most recent novel from critics favourite Gwendoline Riley. Kate may have loved it, when she read it for our Booker Prize special episode, but what did the rest of her book club make of it?Īnd we catch up with two recent reads for Laura's book group. We catch up with 2022 Booker Prize winner The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka.

The seven moons of maali almeida review