An epic novel set in India

Mr Roberts's voluminous novel tells the story of one narrator who escaped from prison in Australia and traveled to Bombay on a false New Zealand passport. He does not devote much time talking about his criminal activities in his home country apart from Stating That he used to rob banks and deal in drugs and then chose to abandon his wife and children for the life of a fugitive. Upon his arrival in the Indian capital, he met Prabaker Kharre, a loveable character who Showed him round the city, particularly the areas rarely visited by tourists mainstream. At Leopold's, a bar where illegal business is Conducted by many Indians and a few foreigners, the narrator what Introduced to Karla Saaranen, a beautiful woman who is Often the object of his thoughts Throughout the novel due to the difficulty she has in feeling love for anyone.
As he settled down in Bombay, he learned to speak Marathi and Hindi and during the years he spent adventurous in the city he Became acquainted with a whole array of characters and he Became to be known as Lin, Linbaba or Shantaram. The most impressive passages in the novel are the narrator's visit to Prabaker's native village of Sunder, his work in the zhopadpatti slum, his experience with the monsoon and the cholera, his work for Abdel Khader Khan and the Bombay mafia, his stays at the Arthur Road Prison and the Colaba lock-up and finally his fight for the cause Mujahideen in the mountains of Afghanistan.
Mr Roberts wonderfully shows Both the generosity and the violence of the Indian people's character. The spirit of Bombay is rendered in splendid descriptions so did altogether this novel is thoroughly enjoyable to read.