Shantaram

I feel like i've lived in Mumbai for years and i'm only halfway through a thousand pages.

I've been hopping between a never-ending pile of work and a never-ending book. the paper i'm working on right now is a poetry paper and i would rather pay $50 to write 5 papers on the book.

forget all the heart wrenching sob stories. after the bible, this is the most penetrative piece of work i've ever laid my eyes upon. the author has such honestly profound understanding of the human heart and condition. and such an understanding could only be made possible by the kind of experiences he'd tide through in his own insane one-of-a-kind life. to top it off, the book is set in one of the most electrifying cities i've ever read about. it totally, and i seriously mean totally, changed my negligible perspective of people in India and their country. it may be a fictitious book, but it is based on his real life experiences in the city with people who inspired almost all the characters in the book, and it is a far from romanticized portrayal of Mumbai. i'm beginning to understand why so many people are intrigued by the country. i think every person should read this book before stepping into india.

btw, the movie Shantaram will be released next year, starring johnny depp! favourite actor with a favourite book. beat that! there is absolutely no way the movie can capture the kind of literary artistry that makes the book the great book it is, but yup bombay fever! (: