Shantaram: A Book Review

It's not something I have actually done since school. I keep a book record as such and list all of the fictional books I have read each year, and I do scribble a couple of lines: 'easy read, well written, story about....' etc, but I have't literally reviewed a book since I was in school. I have just finished reading a book called Shantaram. It was my tree present from my husband's nana. I had put it on my amazon wish list as somebody I met recently recommended it. Being so used to my Kindle now, I couldn't believe how huge this tree book was, and how clumsy I felt trying to hold and read it. I really thought I was going to hate a kindle but they are a pretty amazing piece of technology.....and who am I kidding I love a new gadget.

But I digress. Don't read below if you don't want to know too much about this book, although in my opinion it quite simply cannot be spoiled.

Words cannot describe how powerful this book is. I have read books with pituresque, idillic sounding settings and thought 'Oh, wouldn't it be nice to go there', but NEVER did I think I could read a book set in a slum in bombay and want to travel there so much. A book about a man with a heroin habit, that commits armed robbery, escapes from prison in australia and becomes a fugitive hiding out in the eclectic city of Bombay. He commits more crime, falls in love, becomes a slum doctor, joins the mafia, goes to war, and to top it all off disguises a dancing bear as the elephant god Ganesh. Summing it up, it sounds ridiculous, but even more ridiculous, this story (true life), has covered not only crime and warfare, but love, religion, philosophy, spirituality and the ideology of both right and wrong in such as passionate, powerful and gripping way that you felt that you were living the trials and tribulations of Lin with him. Not only is it an amazing story that I have not been able to put down (933 pages in only 6 days), it is so beautifully written, that I feel like the characters are my friends and family also, and I too felt the sorrow of their deaths, mutilations and punishments, but also the joy they shared. I take my hat of to this author, for not only living through this strange experience, whatever wrongs he committed, he learnt right from wrong, for the right reasons, and learnt most importantly how to forgive, and he has created a very moving novel that will touch many.

Through amazon I have discovered there is a sequel to Shantaram, out later this year, and honestly, I cannot wait! I'm not sure what to read next now??

xoxo