The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

　　諷刺斯里蘭卡國內長期以來的內戰，所導致的暴戾風氣
 
　Maali Almeida眼睛剛睜開，就發現自己已經死了，而靈魂則來到了類似於死後出入境事務局的地方。本來以為眼前一切可能只是吃了朋友給他的「可笑藥丸」導致的幻覺，然而一個個缺手缺腳、衣服滿是血漬的靈魂遊蕩過他身旁，卻不得不信了。
 
　　Maali根本不知道是誰殺死他的，屍體就那樣四分五裂地躺在西馬馬六甲寺的貝拉湖里。畢竟這個國度裡充斥著敢死隊、自殺炸彈客、傭兵，人人都有可能是那個嫌疑犯。他生前是個愛玩撲克牌的賭徒、無神論者、和未出櫃的男同志，同時也是個流浪四處的戰地攝影師，內心有滿腔熱血，希望鏡頭下捕捉到的那些荒唐殘忍畫面，可以作為扳倒政府的武器，讓國家終止戰爭。死後，Maali仍惦記著這些關鍵性的照片，試圖聯繫上生前的友人們，以及他深愛的人們，找出這些作品，並繼承他的意志。然而死後的世界中，給他的時間所剩無幾，只有七個月亮升起的日子（一週）能夠完成⋯⋯(文／博客來外文館)

　　An epic, searing satire of Sri Lanka shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize

　　Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida, war photographer, gambler and closeted gay man, has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira lake and he has no idea who killed him. At a time where scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round 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.

　　Ten years after his prizewinning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka's foremost authors, Shehan Karunatilaka is back with a searing satire and state-of-the-nation epic that proves yet again that the best fiction offers the deeper truth.