I want to preface this review by saying that I wanted to enjoy this novel far more than I actually did; it really came down to it being a me problem and not a problem with Karunatilaka’s storytelling. I think the main issue was that I picked this novel up at the wrong time and couldn’t quite wrap my mind around the uncategorizable (but definitely something deeply philosophical) nature of it, along with the sheer number of moving parts. Even while I was struggling with the text, though, I was able to pick up on the fact that Karunatilaka is quite the storyteller who can spin something incredible based on his country’s tumultuous history, as well as alluding to literary texts in the process to add further depth (e.g., there were definitely some Kafkaesque moments). With regard to his storytelling, something that I quite liked was how the novel was written in second person. It was a really unique approach and I thought it kept the reader on their toes as things unfolded.

I will say that it will be enormously beneficial to enter this novel with some familiarity with Sri Lankan history and politics, because I know a part of the reason I struggled was because I didn’t have that knowledge. That being said, it seems that there were readers who also had no knowledge and still thoroughly enjoyed this novel, so your mileage may vary. While I may have likely picked this novel up at the wrong time and didn’t enjoy it as much, as a result, I absolutely understand how and why Karunatilaka received the Booker Prize— I rarely come across novels like The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida that are this layered and ambitious.