The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida by Shehan

 Maali Almeida is dead.  At first he doesn't want to believe it but he has to face reality.  Maali is a photographer in Sri Lanka.  He doesn't take pretty pictures; instead he documents the civil war, the government forces and the rebels, the pain, the torture, the war crimes.  He is freelance and works with various overseas news organizations.  In his personal life, Maali is not anyone's poster boy for morality.  He is a gambler and a bad one at that.  He is gay and loves DD but cheats on him constantly.  

Maali learns that he has seven days to decide if he will go into the light or remain in the nebulous territory of his former life as a ghost.  He has one thing he wants to do before he decides.  He wants his hidden trove of negatives to be printed and displayed to bring down those involved in tearing the country apart.  He also wants to insure that DD and his cousin Jaki, the two people in the world he loves, are as safe as they can be in such a tumultuous environment.  Which way will Maali choose?

This novel won the Booker Prize in 2022.  I listened to this novel and the narrator's accent grounded me in this part of the world.  It is a searing indictment of war and those in power who use their power to grind down those around them, willing to do anything to anyone in order to remain on top.  Shehan Karunatilaka is a Sri Lakan author who is considered one of the top authors of his country.  In addition to the Booker, his work has also won the Commonwealth Prize.  He also writes children's stories and rock songs but this novel is his masterpiece, showing war for the evil it is.  This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.