Maali Almeida, a Sri Lankan closeted queer, gambler and war photographer, wakes up dead one day. While he does not understand nor accept the reality of it at first, he them embark on a journey filled up of ghosts and demons (both literal ones as well as metaphorical ones) in order to retrace how he died, while also trying to comunicate with his loved ones in an attempt to give his past life meaning.

The writing of Shenan Karunatilaka is absolutely captivating as he imagines an afterlife which mimics the real world: the variety of inhabitants of the afterlife are just as complicated as they were in real life, and driven by their own desires and interests. All of this will make Maali journey intricated, and it will make him question his own motives and desires. Will he be able to reach the light before his seven moons run out?