islamshapara

This was a fascinating book about India. Although it's billed as a novel, it seems to be pretty autobiographical. The author led a fascinating life in Mumbai (Bombay) after his escape from an Australian prison. He lived in and ran a clinic in one of the slums, worked with the local mafia, traveled to Afghanistan during the Russian occupation, spent time in an Indian jail, etc. Having spent time in India I found many of his insights about the slums especially interesting - they are places of vibrancy and community - much unlike our Western perceptions. His descriptions of the local people were great. My only complaint is that any book that's over 900 pages long is TOO LONG - no matter how good it is... There are several YouTube links, easily available through Google, with the author talking about the book and his life. I do recommend the book but plan to have plenty of time to get it read....

2020-08-08 18:45