This is a long book, and after awhile you realize it needs a
very heavy edit indeed. The first 350 odd words’get you in’ and are a much tighter and more succinct
read than the following 600 odd words which do ramble and repeat at times. Remember a prison guard is
alleged to have carried out his own style of editing by trashing the first two drafts of about 350 words, down the toilet. It worked for me. I really enjoyed the book up to the last quarter then I ended up speed reading parts which did not get the toilet editing. In the end I was a bit miffed as Shantaram read like
a Bollywood movie script in the important wrap up. Nothing wrong with that and maybe thats the idea? Bollywood has its place, but the style dosnt win Booker prizes and I think I expected more. The book is kind of caught in no mans land between Bollywood and Literary Fiction. In the last quarter so many characters and their
intertwined fate are kneaded into some sort of conclusion that at times seems too far fetched and unbelievable, e.g the now Catatonic Madam Zhou on her throne in a burnt out third floor Eyrie complete with psycho tattooed
twins frothing and slashing with an abandon only a Eunuch understands. Hmmm. After these scenes in my own rage I now sought transcripts of interviews of the the author to get a better insight into Shantaram. It can be gleaned that
most of the key plot themes are fiction. e.g. the Sapna killers are
fiction, Prabaker is a creation. I knew it! There are advantages to reading a book well after release
after all as many earlier readers thought, based on web comments, much of the book was auto
biographical. Some is. Most is not. Another annoyance is that all of the female roles are
underdeveloped and superficial, two dimensional and all totally gorgeous too even though they work the streets. There is an macho undercurrent of demeaning the female role. The women I know and work with are different. In the end
Karla, the key female role has her green
eyes, dark hair, white milky skin and perfect face described in flowery terms so often I began to have a reaction to her name. After holding up such a heavy long book like this for a couple of weeks the reader deserves rounded main characters. Its also a violent book, lots of eye gouging and
knife fights which the hero always does well in. The
book also glorifies the Mafia organized crime syndicates, and drug use, but is
ironically peppered with homilies and home grown philosophy from mafia
types. In reality Mafia crime groups are very violent e.g. Mumbai bombings, and examples of their practical benficient Philosophy seem to come about only when they have reached the top after much bloodshed. One characters demise seemed inappropriate. The most likable Indian character, Prabaker was
killed off in a gruesome way in a freak accident. His smile ripped away. Why? Yet a hit man killer survives multiple gunshots from thirty cops! I thought at
least this Prabaker was real too. But no, he is a compilation also. The Mumbai times have found the real person whom Roberts based
Prabakers famous smile is still alive, thank goodness. Yet the book does have charm. Later I realized, for me, this charm was India shinning through which had kept me reading on when I might have stopped. Its
apparent India made an impression on Roberts. I am intrigued about Roberts real story now. Maybe Roberts took the lesser of two decisions, fiction over non fiction, a long time ago and was too far in to change it. Truth is often stranger than fiction and perhaps his real story will emerge in time. However he did admit running drugs in Mumbai and he is a convicted convict and prison escapee. Was the real story too sordid to tell? or like much of life, not the makings of a cohesive tale? No one should be damned, but I had the sneaking suspicion I was being taken for a ride as I read on. Is this evidenced by interviews with the
author where he appears to encourage the view, in a subtle manner, that this is more of a semi
autobiographical account of his life than fiction? Or is it merely the still growing skills of a first novelist. You be the judge. While heroin addiction and the
prison break are verifiable, most of the rest is not and this is the sticking point for me. Why so many created characters in a city where there are so many fascinating real stories. Why not tell the’really story’, as the character Praber might say. Thus sadly I believe Shantaram has to taken as a near total fiction. This realsisation lessened its appeal to me as I think I hoped more of the plot actually had happened due to the plight of the poor and downtrodden as they battled adversity. And that is the power of the book. Hope, struggle and the plight of exiles. We recognize these themes and some of us identify with them a lot. Roberts evoked this very well at times but then disappointed by going off track into a sort of Ego trip where if you read carefully Linbaba is a celibate, noble saint like hero. Lastly some of the the dialogue of the
Indians as they talk to Linbaba in the most charming heartfelt ways is captured well in a manner only an Indian can manage. I would like to
read his real life as non fiction and will look at the sequel to provide some answers. Hopefully its shorter.