Sep 23, 2008 03:33 PM
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(Updated Sep 23, 2008 03:33 PM)
I felt this is an over rated book. After all the hype about Shantaram I felt compelled to read this book. I must admit I’m not a fast reader so this book took me a few months to complete.
The book gets you hooked after the first few pages and hence hard to put down. However the book drags in the middle. The book can be made half the original 900 pages with some smart editing and then I feel it will be quite engaging.
The book is an autobiography though the author denies this in his interviews. The author gives a positive spin to all the events in his life which makes this book very interesting. The author also has mostly nice things to say about all the people that he has encountered in his life.
Even as an Indian we have no clue on life in a slum. As an Australian the author has done a great job in giving us insights into the Bombay slums. The author has also done a great job in describing the Indian mentality. His insights on how we Indians think with our heart and not our heads is very true.
One thing I found very strange about this book is that even though the author has only positive things to say about India and all the Indians he has met, the closing credits where he thanks all the people only has 6 possible Indian names out of the 130 odd people he thanks.
This makes me wonder if this guy really serious about loving Indians or is it just a fictional work. If this book is indeed a true work or at least inspired by what happened in his real life, then why is the author not thanking all the characters in his book? I’m sure some of the characters in his book were real people that the author has encountered in his real life. I found this very ungrateful
Now let me summarize the positives and negatives. On the positive side the book has a fascinating story, a great plot and great insight into the life of a slum dweller. On the negative side the book is long, very preachy and philosophical in some parts, drags in parts and also justifies all the criminal acts committed by the author and his friends. If you are an avid reader who reads a lot this book is for you. If you are the kind that reads two or three books in a year this book is not for you.
