In the wake of everything mundane and languid, that continuously pushes its existence upon our everyday lives, causing extreme boredom and occasional mischief, shines through a glimmer of hope, a ray of syntactic brightness, a narrative that gently nudges at your spirit and shocks your moral standing – a nine-hundred odd paged novel that is based on a true story of a heroin addict, with a 27years prison sentence that manages to escape from an Australian prison into the full belly of Bombay in India. Shantaram is a brilliantly written novel by Gregory David Roberts that comes, not only as highly recommended but as a necessity to the even not-so-avid reader.
The story begins with Lin arriving in India, after escaping prison, to the wide open smile of a Bombay guide, Prabaker. Manouvering their way through crowded streets, fast-moving cars, spice-smelling air, body-hugging humidity and incense-filled shops at every corner, Lin and Prabaker become tied by their initial trust in each other. Their friendship intertwines them through disease infected slums, black market dealings, love lusts and dark secrets, mafia brotherhood and heartless killings, lice crawling India prisons and heart breaking deaths.
Through the eyes of Lin, you will be left wondering of the intense pain one human can feel in a lifetime. Similarly, the greatest lesson that one can take from the book is the power of forgiveness, the over-reaching hand of love, the never-ending saviour that is hope through bloody wars, bitter backstabbing and irresponsible choices of man.
Unapologetically exposing the cut-throat underworld of India, the author also piquantly delivers philosophical messages that find their core in humanity and spirituality at the end of every chapter.
Shantaram is a book that will make you devour every word with your third eye, whilst gently forcing you to look at yourself in relation to the world. A human story with a universal theme – forgiveness and love.
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