Shantaram

I recently completed a 1,000 + page novel by Gregory David Roberts entitled "Shantaram". This is the story of Gregory - an escaped Australian convict who lives on the run in Aamchi Mumbai. This is a fascinating read - an escaped convict, no less, but he has lived a colorful, adventurous life definitely worth reading and writing about.

The entire novel is peppered with hilarious incidents of the cultural and language barriers Gregory encounters in the bustling city, but is also very reflective, often with pages dedicated to the convict's own regrets at his apparent heroin addiction and long history of crime. It also provides an inside peek into the Mumbai mafia and the lucrative drug trade, attributed to the large numbers of foreign tourists.

What is most refreshing about this novel, however, is his fascination with India and all things Indian, his praise of the city and the country (in which he still resides), his accurate representation of Indian people as being a community that is warm, friendly, extremely loyal - many times killing or being killed for friends.

The book is slated to be made into a movie starring Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan, to be released in early 2008.

Shantaram is well worth the time and is a great read. I never thought I'd actually have sympathy for a convict, but that's a true testament to this author's masterpiece.