28/07/2009

A literary masterpiece


I have to admit, when I come across a book that could act a door stop I usually shy away in reluctance. No difference then with Shantaram, where after initial inspection I came to the conclusion that it would take me in the region of years to plough my way through the almost 1000 pages ahead.  However, after several enthusiastic recommendations and being gripped by the blurb on the back cover, I decided to give it a go.  I can safely say this exhilarating thriller is the best book I have read in a very long time, I couldn’t put it down and it was over in a matter of days.

Shantaram, written by Gregory David Roberts, is the description of real life events and Roberts’ own experiences, behind the façade of fiction.  In 1980, Roberts escaped from an Australian prison after being sentenced in 1978 to 19 years in jail for armed robbery.  He subsequently became one of Australia’s most wanted men for the 10 years that followed. 

Shantaram tells a breath-taking tale of escaping to Bombay with a fake passport, where he is forced to the slums with nothing but his new identity as a man named Lindsay.  Here he sets up a free health clinic and learns about the culture, finding time to become fluent in Hindi and Marathi.  He joins the Bombay underworld, recruited by the mafia and becomes tangled up in criminal operations from money laundering to forging and street fighting.  His incredible adventure sees him fighting with the Maujahedeen in Afghanistan, surviving outbreaks of cholera, ethnic conflicts, starring in Bollywood movies, until he eventually lands in prison and is abused to the edge of death. The book presents a spiritual journey, in which fear and loneliness, love and compassion are at its very core.  What is even more jaw dropping about this novel, alongside the extraordinary adventures, is that Roberts wrote it a staggering total of three times after prison guards destroyed the first two copies.

Roberts portrays such vivid cultural scenes, you cannot help but become totally engaged in the power of the images he conjures.  It has given me the travel bug, and I would now desperately love to visit India.  I recently discovered that a film based on the novel is on track to be released in 2011, with Johnny Depp cast as the lead.  If the film can reflect everything at the heart of the book, it should be set for great success.

2 comments:

  1. Wow. This book sounds pretty amazing, I also am not a book person I think all those words seem a bit daunting to myself!
    Books that take true life tragic events and make them into a gripping and educational read has definitely caught my attention, I will have to give a read and maybe post my views.

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  2. Yes you're absolutely right, it has a much greater impact due to the fact it is based on a true story. You should definitely give it a go, it really is one of the best books I have ever read!

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