Shantaram

This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read. It is beautifully written. Poetic even. I've read it twice and I will certainly read it again. It is one of those books that's best bought rather than borrowed. So divine are the quotes in this book that I found myself pausing for a bit, taking in the words in my head, heave out an appreciative sigh and re-read the same sentence a few times more.

One quote is so profound that it somehow struck me really deep , for reasons I can't quite pinpoint, is this:
"A dream is a place where a wish and a fear meet. When the wish and fear are exactly the same, we call the dream a nightmare"

There are plenty of other beautifully written sentences all over the book and a few that captivated me:

“At first, when we truly love someone, our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us. What we should fear and dread instead is that we won’t stop loving them, even after they are dead and gone. "

"Personality and person identity are in some ways like co-ordinates on the street map drawn by intersecting relationships. We know who we are and we define what we are by references to the people we love and our reasons for loving them”

“Truth is a bully we all pretend to like “

“Some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you find them again.”

"There’s no meanness too spiteful or too cruel, when we hate someone for all the wrong reasons"

It has been more than 2 years since I've had this book. I still can't stop raving about it. It has a very good storyline (apparently extracted from a real life experience) to complement the excellent style of writing.