"The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida," by Shehan Karunatilaka

This second book from the Sri Lankan author won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2022, a win also noteworthy for being the first by independent press publisher Sort of Books. Categorized as magical realism, queer, fantasy mystery, historical fiction, it's a cross-genre story that reviewers have characterized as fun, unique, zesty, informative, original, challenging, and page-turning. Now you have a sense of its flavor. What will we think amongst ourselves? This should be a good discussion!

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From Goodreads:

Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida—war photographer, gambler, and closet queen—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. In a country 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 contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to the photos that will rock Sri Lanka.

Ten years after his prize-winning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka’s foremost authors, Shehan Karunatilaka is back with a “thrilling satire” (Economist) and rip-roaring state-of-the-nation epic that offers equal parts mordant wit and disturbing, profound truths.