Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

I took this huge debut novel on a quick holiday to Hawaii and back, which earned me a few strange looks, but it was well worth it. It clocks in at just under 950 pages, or about three trees. This novel is easily the best I’ve read this year, and as all the fanfare reports it’s already being turned into a film. With three actors attached to the film, the script is not yet even penned! Roberts gets the first stab at adapting, which should be a good base for the film to build on.

Usually when I read something this good you can’t shut me up, but in this case the authors past (heroin, armed robberies, jail) seems to get more frowns than interested looks. Having read Shantaram, and being able to ‘know’ somebody like Roberts as well as you can while never actually meeting the man, the initial judgements of these people couldn’t be further from the truth.

Shantaram is an epic spread across the globe; it runs the full gamut of human emotions; and somehow, despite the page-count, manages to leave you wanting more. Which is a good thing, considering Roberts is working on a sequel of sorts; a currently untitled Shantaram Part II.

Because the novel is spread over such a large period you get to know a large assortment of characters, some of which continually weave in and out of Robert’s life along the way. It does delve into some moderately heavy philosophy (at least that’s what I’d say it to be) which does bog it down a little; but everything in the book is there for a reason.

Simply one of the best and most important contemporary novels written in Australia – grab a copy as soon as you can – you simply will not regret it. Don’t wait for the film, it’s slated for 2007!