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A review by booksonadventures
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
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.
• 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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Violence