Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts was first published in 2003. The story revolves around a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict. That convict happens to have escaped from Pentridge Prison and reached Bombay, India. Besides telling the story of the convicted criminal, the novel presents a vivid portrait of highly tumultuous life in Mumbai, India. When the book was published, it received mostly positive reviews, though there were some critics who did not approve of the novel's sprawling design. A prominent critic went on to say that "Shantaram" is a shapeless collection of action episodes, strung together by macho ruminations about the nature of love, trust, courage, and, of course, freedom