There’s a saying in my local language that says, "I will rest when am dead". This book totally negates that saying. First of all, If you manage to get through the first 50 pages of reading it (I struggled), then you are in for a confusing but exhilarating ride. This book had me googling 1000 words that even 'Big Brother’ (cough cough Google) is probably confused at what my interests are; Sri Lanka's history, flags of different countries, Ola Leaf, the African god 'Mbombo' who vomited the world…

We are introduced to Maali Almeida, 'Photographer. Gambler. Slut' (his words, not mine), a closeted gay man who finds himself dead & embarks on a quest to find out how he died & who killed him. From the bureaucracy involved that he encounters as he tries to figure out how to navigate the life after death in the 'in-between world', his past life & the loved ones that he has left behind, the ghosts & demons roaming the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka's politics, the brutality & killings that take place everyday, the different Government agencies involved (local & foreign), this book declares no rest for the dead in an enthralling way. I totally get why it won the @Bookerprize 2022. And the ending is