Papillon....published in the year 1970....has been a phenomenal hit! Its a chilling yet inspiring true story of Henry Charriere’s years in French Guiana during 1930’s and his 9 escape attempts, wherein he finally succeeds!
This book is one of best sellers of its time..and I am positive that it will be equally acclaimed if read even now.
Henry is falsely implicated in a murder and sent for life imprisonment in the dreaded French Guiana jail. From there on its a story, which hardly falls short of his adventures, the terror the French authorities in the jail command, the brutality and the inhumane conditions of the fellow inmates!
Reality bites.....and trust me when I say it, because this book will send shivers down your spine with the pathetic state of the prisoners and the ’’torture’’ they are made to undergo. And an attempt to escape would lead them to a Dungeon, wherein you can hear screams of humanity going unheard! As Henry puts it in the book -- ’’The Chinese discovered the drop of water that falls on your head. The French discovered silence.’’
Henry makes 9 attempts to escape and each attempt is full of realistic and appealing description. I agree that its a darn tough job to make people stick to your book! Its a 560 paged book filled with excitement, courage and adventure!
One of his attempts take him to the feared Indians of the Goajira, where he has two wives, completely aloof from the other side of the world. There he is touched by their style of living..surviving on fishing and an almost wild in expression of every emotion. but alas....with no pretence whatsoever.
His attempts are marred by bad fortune, thus bringing him back to Guiana, even confinement into dungeons for 2 long years! He also gets helped by his friends in the jail, who help him survive the brutality by slipping in coconuts to him.
His final attempt using a bag of coconuts and help from the waves and along with a friend, who unfortunately dies in the swamp, at this point Henry can do little but to watch him vanish in the swamps! His encounter with an escaped Chinese and his little pig is like shot in the arm!
Finally, at Venezuela serving some time in prison....he gets his deserved Freedom! All the 14 years of his life just wasted away. At time in the book, Henry ponders on what keeps him moving...but he in one tough soul.
This book is not intellectually stimulating. The events might get termed as repulsive, but then thats the truth.
Above all its a gripping story....and it adds to the excitement knowing that it a true one! If you have some spare time....dedicate it to this book...you will not regret it!
Henry adds his own humour to the situations wherein his escapes fail....and thats commendable..you will find the humour with the first line of the book, which says IT WAS A KNOCKOUT BLOW-a punch so overwhelming that I didn’t get back on my feet for fourteen years.
It did strengthen my belief that ’’Impossible is nothing’’. I hope you enjoy it too!