by Gregory David Roberts
Author: Gregory David Roberts
Published: first published in 2003
Publisher: Scribe
Number of Pages: 933
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
From Goodreads
Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.
Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere.
As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.
Burning slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison agonies, criminal wars and Bollywood films, spiritual gurus and mujaheddin guerrillas---this huge novel has the world of human experience in its reach, and a passionate love for India at its heart. Based on the life of the author, it is by any measure the debut of an extraordinary voice in literature.
My Review
" It was Shantaram, which means man of peace, or man of God's peace.
They nailed thier stakes into the earth of my life, those farmers. They knew the place in me where the river stopped, and they marked it with a new name. Shantaram Kishan Kharre. I don't know if they found that name in the heart of the man they believed me to be, or if they planted it there, like a wishing tree, to bloom and grow. Whatever the case, whether they discovered that peace or created it, the truth is that the man I am was born in those moments, as I stood near the flood sticks with my face lifted to the chrismal rain. Shantaram. The better man that, slowly, and much too late, I began to be. "
This is again, one of those difficult reviews where you don't feel up to the task of judging such a masterpiece. Yesterday, I felt extremely mad with myself because I let so much time pass between me finishing the book and me (trying) writing the review; but just before starting this post, I re-read all the wonderful quotes that I underlined during the book and felt again all those strong deep emotions that this book manages to induce and I thought that maybe letting some time pass to digest all this was not a bad idea. Because with Shantaram, there really is a lot to digest.
We are not just talking about the massive lenght of the book, but about the amount of topics, places, and personalities introduced by the author. It was difficult for me at first to keep pace with all the info Gregory provided: you get the feeling that you are being suddenly thrown into a story that has long begun and you feel totally disoriented. But that's exactly what is happening. We follow the protagonist's life starting from his exile in India, so we're basically missing on a big chunk of what was his life before; we don't have time to adjust to Lin's character because we're immediately introduced to him and to India's many colors, sounds and chaotic streets.
But Lin's previous life will never be the main story of this book. His rebirth thanks to India's warmth and communitarism is. It was a unique experience for me to learn about Indians's lifestyle because it's a culture that I personally never felt quite attracted to - I struggle with Indians at work every single day, and sometimes I really can't understand their behaviour, or better, the way they relate to others. Well, can I say that this book made me completely revaluate my idea of this country? It's easy to believe that the story is based on autobiographical facts, because the love that exudes from the author's words is tangible. The way he describes India with all its weaknesses, all its contradictions and glories will give the reader images that you will hardly forget. The way he introduces you to the people he probably really met, will give you one of the best collection of complex characters ever. The bond that I developed with even the minor ones was just as deep and spontaneous as the sadness that caught me when I realized that I couldn't follow their stories anymore.
I wrote a lot of notes about this book and while writing this, I'm still struggling to understand if I better say something about the very story or about the protagonist or about some technicalities. But this book is not about these, is about what it leaves you even after days of finishing it. It's simply indelible and I can't wait to read more about this wonderful author.
Rated
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