Around India In 80 Trains

It’s a special kind of book that can make a reader sink into the mind of a writer by the end of the first page and never want to leave. But Shantaram is the one book of the last decade that you have no choice but to participate in. Pick it up and you’re there for the duration, put it down for a breather and you won’t find your way back in.

Having escaped from a high-security prison in Australia, Roberts blagged his way through Bombay immigration on a fake Kiwi passport, attached himself to a group of unassuming students, and found himself in Bombay. There he built a new life for himself living in the slums, forging passports, fighting wars, and of course, falling in love.

Many fresh-eyed writers fall into clichéd traps when writing about India, traps that Roberts sidestepped from the word go. None of this ‘sweet chai and streets smelling of spices’ nonsense, Roberts lets you smell it for yourself, watch the drama through his eyes and feel the pain of his own downfall. His simple language is relaxed and honest, yet so painstakingly pieced together that you’ll be laughing at the start of a paragraph and crying by the end of it. His own often loud and fraught introspection can shock you into addressing much of your own shame, wrongdoing and regret, and there are few writers who achieve that so unwittingly.

A lot of questions have been raised as to the truth of his story, but whether or not he fabricated chunks, it doesn’t matter. Shantaram is his story and who hasn’t embellished their own tales for the sake of others enjoyment? Don’t be fazed by the 944 pages, be sad that it isn’t double the size.

And if you catch any train into Mumbai CST, also known as Victoria Terminus, turn left out of the main exit onto Colaba Causeway and you’ll find yourself in the heart of much of Roberts’ story.