[Book] Shantaram

The book is a semi-autobiographical novel based on the author's experiences as an escaped convict from an Australian prison who fled to India, where he lived for ten years. The story follows the protagonist, Lin, as he navigates the underworld of Bombay, becomes involved with the local mafia, and engages in various adventures and relationships. The book has been praised for its vivid portrayal of life in India and its themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the search for identity. It provides a unique perspective on a group of people who are often viewed as outsiders or outcasts in society. These individuals live on the fringes of society and beyond the norms of mainstream values. In their quest for survival, they may disregard laws and regulations and create their own genesis. While the mafia operates under their own set of rules, humanity and human nature remain universal. Regardless of race or ethnicity, we might share the same emotions and experiences. Thus, we could empathize with the Indians living in the mafia or slums and understand the complex emotions they experience. While our lives don't require the direction of others, we all need mutual understanding, support, help, and love.

This book is very long, and it's also difficult for me to describe how I felt after reading it. Maybe I just want to cite some quotes:

"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realised, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the man who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn't sound like much, I know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it's all you've got, that freedom is a universe of possibility. And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life. "

“One of the reasons why we crave love, and seek it so desperately, is that love is the only cure for loneliness, and shame, and sorrow. But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you find them again. Some truths about yourself are so painful that only shame can help you live with them. And some things are just so sad that only your soul can do the crying for you.”