Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
“So it begins, this story, like everything else-with a woman, and a city, and a little bit of luck.”
The first page of this novel ends with this sentence, and at this point of reading only three paragraphs, I already knew I was hooked and captivated by Gregory David Roberts story.
Roberts’ story is absolutely fascinating and riveting. I’m unsure just how much of Shantaram based on his own life, but Gregory David Roberts definitely wrote about his personal experiences in this “novel”. Is it a novel so he could protect his friends from the criminal acts confessed or because he embellished certain scenes? We may never know as Roberts has secluded himself from the world in order to heal and focus on his loved ones. I don’t really care how much is true or made up, as I loved every bit of this novel.
One of the largest reasons I loved this book is the fact that Roberts has this natural ability to write so beautifully. A large portion of his life was spent in prison, addicted to heroin or carrying out acts for a Bombay mafia syndicate. And yet, he somehow has this lyrical way of writing that was charming and enticing; even though you are reading about crime, violence and a darkness that can take hold of any person. Roberts so wonderfully describes the landscapes and people that make up India you felt like you were right there beside him. He so perfectly explains cultural norms and expectations and political and philosophical debates that it almost seems like a historical analysis of a country but yet it still reads as a novel. There were so many times I found myself re-reading a profound statement that I felt deep in my gut.
“Everything you ever sense, in touch or taste or sight or even thought, has an effect on you that’s greater than zero. Some things...have such an infinitesimal small effect that you can’t detect them. Some things...and some images...attached themselves to the secret gallery and they change your life forever.”
It’s difficult for me to determine what to say in this review. This autobiographical novel covers and offers so much. It is about love, forgiveness and a search for redemption. It’s written by an escaped convict and mafia criminal, but he’s also philosophical and romantic and offers up a warm generous heart to almost all those he encounters.
In the almost 1,000 pages of this sweeping story, you are obviously introduced to many different people or “characters”. Each is described with such detail you feel as if you are meeting them in person. I was never once confused as to who was who since each character is given their unique personalities so flawlessly. I realize I may be babbling now and just sound like a gushing fan girl, but I’m not sure how else to show my praise for this book that has touched me in ways I never thought it could based on its material.
“But the soul has no culture. The soul has no nations. The soul has no color or accent or wavy of life. The soul is forever. The soul is one.”
Synopsis: “It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured." So begins this epic, mesmerizing novel set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay. 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. 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.