The Ultimate Saga Of Life

Shantaram…a look was enough for me to decide that this book cannot be completed my. But then I read the first page then second then third and without realizing I had finished 100 pages of 900 pages book in a day’s time. Unlike other bestselling book where only where it’s embossed that book is a bestseller Shantaram actually lives up to its bestselling expectation. This is a book that makes you wanting more, hoping the book never ends but like every other good things sadly enough Shantaram also ends.

The plot of books which revolves around protagonist Lindsay/Lin/Shantaram who arrives in Bombay with little money, an assumed name, false papers, an untellable past, and no plans for the future. Where he meets Prabaker (who names Lindsay as Lin) right away, a sweet, smiling man who is a street guide. Stays six months in village where is reborn as Shantaram. Return to Mumbai becomes Shataram opens up a clinic in for slum dwellers, with help mafia form where medicines comes. Acts in Bollywood movies. Falls for a girl know as Karla. Is tortured by police, goes in depression, goes to Afghanistan fights a war.

There is surely originality in this book the way it has been written. But every good book or so called bestselling books have what we call a wow factor so what is the wow factor of Shantaram. Well the wow factor of Shantaram is the way the Gregory David Roberts handle violence and romance at the same time. It’s quite disturbing sometimes to read his thoughts and fantasies about murder in one paragraph and then have him fill up the gaps in his life with sweet tender love and devotion in the next. There are no exorbitant subplots or irrelevant characters, and the momentum never slows down. The characters are strongly formed and memorable. Even the minor ones have an important role to play at various points in the novel. In a novel of such breadth and subplots, it’s easy for one to get lost in the number of new characters and their complicated relationships

Gregory David Roberts writes with air of freshness. He describes every small thing from floor of much loved Leoplod café in Mumbai to his love Shantaram’s love interest Karla who deserves a special; mention because she was my favorite character in the book to perfection. Shantaram is just not about Lin baba it’s about the city the city of dreams, city of people it’s more about Mumbai and what makes Mumbai. It’s about the sorrowfulness, bitterness; hope; love finding happiness .Shantaram is not just a book it’s a city which you become a part of which you breathe till very last page of the book. Sometimes you become dective trying figure out who Sapna Killer is? Sometimes you become Prabaker a man small village who comes to city with big dreams. And sometimes you’re the protagonist who in search of unknown as in words of Shantaram “Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything exept tears. In the end that's all there is: love and its duty, sorrow and its truth. In the end that's all we have - to hold on tight until the dawn”