Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts - Book Review

‘Shantaram’ is a book you want to hate, but eventually admire due to its exuberant narrative and seemingly gripping anecdote told by the author, who happens to be the protagonist of the story.

While I wanted to dislike it, because of the vanity portrayed by the author within his own character and extending the story to almost a thousand pages, I still could not put down the book.

There is something captivating about the chronicle that makes you want to finish reading it.

The story is based on Roberts’ escape from an Australian prison and fleeing to Bombay in India with the fake name of Lindsay. The beauty of the city captures his attention. He befriends a taxi driver named Prabaker, portrayed as a jolly and convivial soul who becomes his best friend.

Prabaker, earnestly, nicknames Lindsay as Linbaba and helps him to learn the Marathi language, which is widely spoken in Bombay. Prabaker’s mother calls him Shantaram.

Roberts writes about his audacious stay in a slum hut and how his life changed dramatically within that time period; from, initially, being a medical assistant to committing acts of crime like forging passports and money laundering.

Furthermore, Linbaba joins the cult of a crime lord, Abdel Khader Khan, whom he considers his father, guru, and mentor. 

He also describes his romance life, intricately, and how he fell in love with a Swiss-American woman named Karla. The author’s portrayal of certain scenes with Karla is remarkable.

The author does a good job presenting the numerous ups and downs that seem too good to be true.

The book has a touch of a cinematographic experience and is quite captivating. While major parts of the story are real-life events from the author’s ordeal, few parts are fictionalized to patch it up.