Editors Reads Verdict
More of the same — which is both the appeal and the limitation. The Bombay world is as vivid as ever, Lin as philosophical, the length as challenging. Fans of Shantaram will want this; new readers should start there.
What We Loved
- The Bombay setting remains extraordinary
- Roberts's storytelling energy is undiminished
- Fans of Shantaram will find what they loved
Minor Drawbacks
- Very long and somewhat overwritten
- Requires Shantaram as background
- The philosophical asides can be wearying
Key Takeaways
- → Bombay's underworld and its code of honour
- → The philosophical questions that crime raises about human nature
- → Loyalty as the central value in a world without law
| Author | Gregory David Roberts |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Pages | 880 |
| Published | January 1, 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary Fiction, Crime Fiction |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Best For | Readers who loved Shantaram and want to return to Lin and Bombay |
Lin, the Australian escaped convict who found a strange home in the Bombay underworld, returns in The Mountain Shadow — older, still philosophical, still immersed in the criminal networks and extraordinary humanity of the city that claimed him. The sequel picks up the story shortly after Shantaram left off, with Lin still navigating the competing loyalties and dangers of Bombay’s shadow world.
Gregory David Roberts wrote Shantaram in manuscript three times — the first two versions were confiscated by prison guards — and the decade-long wait for the sequel was accompanied by considerable anticipation. The result delivers what fans of the first book wanted: the same Bombay, the same Lin, the same combination of crime narrative, philosophical meditation, and intimate human drama.
At 880 pages, The Mountain Shadow is as long as its predecessor and shares its virtues and its faults. The city of Bombay (now Mumbai, though Roberts uses the old name throughout) is rendered with the same loving intensity; the characters are vivid; the narrative moves with genuine propulsion. But the philosophical asides are, if anything, more frequent and more extended, and readers who found them wearying in Shantaram will find more to endure here. This is emphatically not where to start — read Shantaram first, then decide if you want more.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Mountain Shadow" about?
The long-awaited sequel to Shantaram, returning to Lin and the Bombay underworld for another epic of crime, philosophy, love, and the city that never lets its inhabitants go.
Who should read "The Mountain Shadow"?
Readers who loved Shantaram and want to return to Lin and Bombay
What are the key takeaways from "The Mountain Shadow"?
Bombay's underworld and its code of honour The philosophical questions that crime raises about human nature Loyalty as the central value in a world without law
Is "The Mountain Shadow" worth reading?
More of the same — which is both the appeal and the limitation. The Bombay world is as vivid as ever, Lin as philosophical, the length as challenging. Fans of Shantaram will want this; new readers should start there.
Ready to Read The Mountain Shadow?
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