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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Mafia violence, street fighting, prison brutality, and a war sequence
Language
A lot
Heavy profanity throughout the criminal world dialogue
Sexual Content
Some
Adult sexual relationships; non-explicit
Substance Use
A lot
Extensive drug use including heroin; the criminal underworld's drug trade
Emotional Intensity
Some
Explores guilt, redemption, and the psychology of a man trying to become more than his worst actions
What this book is about
Based on author Gregory David Roberts's own life, this sweeping semi-autobiographical novel follows Lin, a convicted bank robber who escapes an Australian prison and ends up in Bombay, where he sets up a free clinic in the slums, falls in love, joins the Bombay mafia, and fights in Afghanistan. Sprawling, passionate, and sometimes excessive.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Extensive drug use and heroin addiction
Mafia violence and criminal activity
Prison brutality depicted
War violence in Afghanistan
Reader Verification
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