Hello, young Padawan
Today, we’re going to discuss one of the best contemporary novels I’ve ever read. I received this book for my birthday, and I didn’t expect to be so immersed in the story, the plot, and the author’s world.
When a fellow reader gives you a book, you’re almost guaranteed to have a good time, but this time, I must admit, I was blown away. Like anyone who has worked their way up in a field, it takes a lot to impress me these days, especially when it comes to crafting beautiful descriptions, employing poetry, finesse, rich vocabulary, and impeccable grammar.
Furthermore, contemporary books are increasingly poor now. There are fewer and fewer words used to describe situations, as we have the chance of an almost infinite range of words, and as for grammar, well, it is rare to find a simple past or a subjunctive, even in the present. So much so that when I have the pleasure of opening a rich book, one part of me is in heaven, and the other is even more curious to discover the work.
Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts
This book is a fictionalized biography. We begin with the story of a man named “Lin,” who we understand is the author, who arrives in India for the first time in his life. He quickly meets Prakaber, a kind and funny guide with a warm smile, and a slew of adventures ensue.
Since there’s no way I’m going to spoil this sublime fictionalized life, full of love, adventure, twists, and turns, I’ll tell you what happens beforehand.
The reason he calls himself “Lindsay” or “Linbaba” is that that’s the name on his fake passport. Indeed, the man is Australian, born and raised there, and let’s say he had a turbulent first life before arriving in Bombay (now called Mumbai, ed). A young man who grew up in a poor neighborhood finds himself in prison after a series of bad decisions and bad luck, and it is by escaping from prison in Australia that he recovers a fake passport and starts a new life on the Indian continent.
A gripping novel
What’s great about this novel, beyond the storytelling, the beautiful writing, and the author’s superb talent for description, which is always light and poetic, is that we see the evolution of the narrator and the characters who revolve around him. It becomes fascinating, especially since we receive a big surprise at one point. There’s no way I’m going to tell you more here, even under torture, lol. This book is simply magnificent. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from page to page, from chapter to chapter. It’s simple; as soon as you start reading this book, you won’t want to put it down. The author’s descriptive metaphors are remarkable, poetic, subtle, and well-crafted.
The world of Bombay in the 1990s is simply fascinating. Mutual aid, mafias, people in unspeakable precariousness, endowed with an incomparable and luminous philosophy, groups of passionate foreigners, lost people, all in a city that is booming, slowly entering modernity. We discover the different caste systems in this ancient and highly complex society, while living in the utmost simplicity of the slum dwellers.
Finally, there is also a passage in Goa, and in the war-torn East, in Afghanistan, where we also learn about the culture of the natives, while continuing to devour the adventures of our protagonist.
Honestly, I can’t wait for a year to pass so I can reread this book, which captivated me from beginning to end.
That’s all I can tell you, without giving too much away, about this excellent book, which, as you’ve probably guessed, I highly recommend.
All that’s left is to wish you a wonderful weekend, and we’ll see you next Friday for new adventures.
XO 🪷
