Book Review! - Shantaram

This one's for Tahly (Don't be harsh I don't know how to review books)

I actually finished this book (for the second time) a couple weeks ago and wanted to write about it since. I loved it so much, I read it once, read another small book, and then started this one again right away.

The novel is named Shantaram, and is based on real events from the author's life. Gregory David Roberts was sentenced to prison for armed robbery. During his time there, he was brutally beaten by guards pretty much constantly. Finally, he had enough and escaped over the wall in broad daylight. With the help of some friends, he fled to Bombay, India, which is where the novel begins.

This book tells the tale of Roberts' life in India as a runaway and the most wanted man from his home country, Australia. He forms many close bonds, gets in many dangerous situations, and even goes to jail again, experiencing significantly worse conditions than before. To be honest I don't really wanna recap the book, just tell how it made me feel.

Roberts writes this book in a way that makes it impossible not to feel connected to him and everyone else in the story. I didn't realize how I thought about some things until he put it into words, and he definitely showed me some better ways to look at some things. He incorporates so many universal truths in this book. It really gives you a different way to look at life, while truly caring about what happens to him and the people around him. I truly highly recommend this novel.