5th July 2007
Shantaram
Gregory David Roberts
It seems that you can judge a book by its cover, Shantaram, written by Greogory David Roberts, not only has a beautifully designed illustration of a sunburnt-red Indian skyline, but is so full of gripping drama and deep emotion that it’s extremely hard to stop reading (even if you really need to eat your dinner or go to the toilet).
The opening passage is enough to get you hooked and sets the tone for the rest of the book:
“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. I realised, somehow, through the screaming of my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn’t sound like much, I know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it’s all you’ve got, that freedom is an universe of possibility. And the choice you make between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life.”
What makes this story especially enthralling is that it is based on true events and is an autobiographical account of the Australian author’s escape from prison and his life in the slums of Bombay. We follow the narrator (alias ‘Lindsay’) as he arrives in Bombay on a fake passport and befriends a taxi driver called Prabaker, who takes him to his slum home, where renamed ‘Linbaba’, he lives for the next few years running a make-shift health clinic for his neighbours.
As time passes we see Linbaba getting involved in criminal activities, from smuggling and counterfeiting to even gun-running in Afghanistan. We are introduced to a range of credible and endearing characters, from prostitutes to Kader, head of the Bombay mafia and Karla, the woman Linbaba falls in love with. Interspersed amid these numerous faces, we see sweat and grime, dirt and squalor, disease, fire, extreme poverty and perhaps most importantly, love. Roberts has narrated this book with a genuine affection for his characters, which results in a very convincing, passionate and compelling account of his very exciting, yet often troubled life.
It took Roberts thirteen years to write Shantaram, with the first two drafts, six years work, being destroyed in prison. He claims that “this novel has been written in blood and tears;” it is indeed a highly powerful autobiography, it’s immediately apparent that Roberts has thrown himself completely and utterly into its making.
This book had a grand effect on me, the story was hugely compelling and I felt a certain compassion and empathy for the characters. Perhaps what made this story so special to me was the fact that I was reading it while travelling around India and it was interesting to see the comparisons Robert’s acknowledged with my own experiences.
Shantaram
Gregory David Roberts
It seems that you can judge a book by its cover, Shantaram, written by Greogory David Roberts, not only has a beautifully designed illustration of a sunburnt-red Indian skyline, but is so full of gripping drama and deep emotion that it’s extremely hard to stop reading (even if you really need to eat your dinner or go to the toilet).
The opening passage is enough to get you hooked and sets the tone for the rest of the book:
“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. I realised, somehow, through the screaming of my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn’t sound like much, I know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it’s all you’ve got, that freedom is an universe of possibility. And the choice you make between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life.”
What makes this story especially enthralling is that it is based on true events and is an autobiographical account of the Australian author’s escape from prison and his life in the slums of Bombay. We follow the narrator (alias ‘Lindsay’) as he arrives in Bombay on a fake passport and befriends a taxi driver called Prabaker, who takes him to his slum home, where renamed ‘Linbaba’, he lives for the next few years running a make-shift health clinic for his neighbours.
As time passes we see Linbaba getting involved in criminal activities, from smuggling and counterfeiting to even gun-running in Afghanistan. We are introduced to a range of credible and endearing characters, from prostitutes to Kader, head of the Bombay mafia and Karla, the woman Linbaba falls in love with. Interspersed amid these numerous faces, we see sweat and grime, dirt and squalor, disease, fire, extreme poverty and perhaps most importantly, love. Roberts has narrated this book with a genuine affection for his characters, which results in a very convincing, passionate and compelling account of his very exciting, yet often troubled life.
It took Roberts thirteen years to write Shantaram, with the first two drafts, six years work, being destroyed in prison. He claims that “this novel has been written in blood and tears;” it is indeed a highly powerful autobiography, it’s immediately apparent that Roberts has thrown himself completely and utterly into its making.
This book had a grand effect on me, the story was hugely compelling and I felt a certain compassion and empathy for the characters. Perhaps what made this story so special to me was the fact that I was reading it while travelling around India and it was interesting to see the comparisons Robert’s acknowledged with my own experiences.
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