But in the course of the book, he does at least ten other accents impeccably: French, German, American, Canadian, Italian, Spanish, British Arabic, and more, not to mention several accents from around India. The book’s in first person, and Bower’s Australian, so Lin’s accent comes naturally to him. In fact, he was so good I’m considering listening to other things he’s read, even though I’ve never heard of them, just because he reads them. I didn’t like Lin and wasn’t much compelled to care too deeply about him. On the other hand, though, I didn’t find myself reveling in particularly stunning passages as many of Shantaram‘s readers have.

The reader, Humphrey Bower, is quite possibly the best narrator I’ve ever encountered. I have different opinions with regards to each aspect of Shantaram on audio. He falls in love with India and carves out a life for himself amongst its people. What follows is Lin’s journey through Bombay’s underworld–the slums, the mafia, the drug trade, the violence–with a generous smattering of reflection and philosophy. Lindsey–is quickly shortened to Linbaba (or just Lin) by Prabaker, the delightful guide Lin encounters shortly after arriving. He assumes the identity on the passport he’s using, but the name–Mr.

It’s the story of a nameless man who arrives in Bombay after escaping from an Australian prison. I read it without knowing much about the author’s life, only later finding out how much of it was blended into the novel. Shantaram is, at least partly, autobiographical. I decided to go that route and borrowed Shantaram from the library in late February. Then, several months ago, I read Diane’s review of the audio version–all 43 hours of it–on Bibliophile By the Sea. My husband mentioned it my sister was reading it. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is a book about which I’ve been curious for a while.

Audible shantaram