Shantaram

Gregory David Roberts's 2003 novel, based on his own life, follows an Australian armed robber and heroin addict who escapes prison and flees to Bombay, where he establishes a free clinic in the slums, falls in love, joins the local mafia, fights in Afghanistan, and works as a forger and smuggler. The novel is sprawling in both length (over 900 pages) and ambition, weaving a philosophy of love, redemption, and the search for belonging through its gritty portrait of Bombay's underworld. A divisive book — celebrated for its immersive storytelling and criticised for its romanticisation of violence — it has become a word-of-mouth phenomenon with a devoted readership.