Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Shantaram

This is a complicated book with a complicated history. In a sense, it's no wonder the page count approaches 1000. There is so much life, history, emotion, and tension packed into every single chapter. The prose can be poetic at times, but sometimes borders on pretentious. It's action-packed, but also slow-paced over the whole -- it really does feel as though I've read 7 years of the author's life. Rarely have I read a novel so capable of expressing scenes in an urban environment, and for a reader who loves urban travel/exploration, the early chapters are a delight of new characters and experiences.

There are two things I'm still chewing on after reading. The first is the matter of authenticity and authorial honesty. Shantaram is marketed as fiction, but the events are obviously inspired by the author's real life experiences in 1980s Mumbai and characters are either entirely real people or are barely-hidden composites of real people. Unfortunately, Prabaker's real-life family disputes the events as told in the story, which gives the story more than a hint of exploitation. This, in addition to the history of Orientalism and travel books going back to the 1960s, put Shantaram in somewhat uncomfortable company.

The second concerning aspect is the core philosophy seemingly held by the author and doled out over the course of the narrative. As Lin learns through his conversations with

Khaderbai

, there begins to be a unifying theme in the novel surrounding the notions of good vs. evil and personal redemption. The philosophy lesson contrasts subtly with a distinct lack of personal growth: Lin accumulates an increasingly fantastical amount of experiences but seems almost wholly immune to gathering the associated wisdom. He is, in essence, the same person/decision-maker at the end of the book as at the beginning, just with more power and an additional 7-8 years of stories to tell. Whether this is an intentional choice by the author or a byproduct of the author's true beliefs is hard to tell, but the proselytizing tone and minor hero complex displayed by the self-insert main character combined with a philosophy that more or less excuses the worst behaviors displayed in the book makes for an interesting reflection after reading.

Despite the above, I'd recommend reading this book to anybody who enjoys characters who are larger than life. Each little interaction in Leopold's or the slums was leaps and bounds more interesting than some of the more fantastical plot points!

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mallorypen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I knew this was going to be a challenge when I started it, but I didn’t anticipate how much of a challenge it would really be. Overall, I think there were some really special moments in this book; however, the stream of conscious storytelling method, the inherent cruelty of the majority of the characters, and the one dimensional portrayal of women made this book a really tough read.

Not to mention the length.

I like a long book, don’t get me wrong - but the meandering pace of this novel felt like a structural issue and not a storytelling choice. It does read like nonfiction in the sense that it goes from plot point to plot point without what feels like an overarching through line, but overall I felt like so much could have been trimmed to tighten up the story while still getting the philosophical points across.

I was over Karla as a character pretty much from the start. A weird mix between a manic pixie dream girl and a tortured soul, I got the impression that Lin fell in love with the idea of her, rather than who she actually was. There was no trust, no communication, and really nothing but the “put her on a pedestal” behavior that could have been generated from his time in prison and the relationship he had there.

All of the female characters were one dimensional. The male characters were allowed to be flawed and imperfect and ugly and handsome and smart and foolish, but the women all felt like caricatures. Madame Zhou was a villianess; Karla was the sultry femme fatale; Lisa was the virgin prositute; Orla was the flighty ditz; Prabaku’s mother was just a mother.

Other than the people in the slum, I disliked all the main characters. There was a lot of philosophical discussions on how to take evil deeds and make excuses for them, and to see the people enacting those deeds as Robin Hood-esque heroes. So many terrible things were done and explained away by “he was like my father/brother” and none of the kindnesses or wisdom from those characters felt honest or admirable as a result.

I gave the 2.75 stars because there were vignettes that were beautiful and enjoyable to read, and though initially I got flavors of white savior from Lin, I really did think he braces the culture in the end and respected it and its people authentically.

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msheftej's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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edgarallenshoe's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

"I was interested in everything and committed to nothing"

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jennimunro's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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booksonadventures's review

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adventurous hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

• Things that worked: vivid descriptions of India, insight into symbiosis between crime and poverty, thought-provoking philosophical discussions.

• Things that didn’t: pretentious and “too-good-to-be-true” main character (Lin), longer than necessary.

Early in Shantaram and fresh off the plane from Australia, Lin comments on the unique “freedom” of Indian people living in slums. TBH I almost quit the book right there. I’m not interested in reading about white people who travel to romanticize poverty. Despite my efforts to hate Lin, I stuck with it (mainly due to Prabaker ❤️), and somehow got swept up in this mind-blowing epic of love, life, brotherhood, and betrayal.

I wouldn’t say I LIKE Lin—he’s painfully pretentious—but I did grow to respect him. Despite being the convenient hero of every story (🙄), Lin does a decent job of acknowledging his arrogance & showing how his white saviorism doesn’t hold up in reality. I also believe that GDR genuinely attempted to illustrate the heart of India, with all its nuance and chaos, making Bombay the most fascinating character in the story.

Look, this is a LONG book, and it’s packed to the brim with dizzying escapades, from the poorest slums to Bollywood, from mafia mansions to the middle of a war in Afghanistan. The author claims this novel is based entirely on his real experiences with fictionalized characters, but it’s obvious that much of this novel is fiction, including his infallible alter-ego.

GDR used a lot of foreshadowing and epiphanies throughout this novel, with a reflective and overly embellished writing style that’s certainly not for everyone. Some parts are ridiculous, but others moved me. Shantaram didn’t need to be 900 pages, but there are enough nuggets of wisdom and “Indian heart” buried among the pseudo-philosophy that I feel it was worth my time.

Final thoughts: 👍🏻 Recommended, but not a new favorite by any means.

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