When Saroo is five years old, he becomes separated from his family - and not separated like lost in a store. He accidentally ends up on a train that takes him hundreds of miles away from the familiar streets of his Indian neighborhood. After being adopted in an Australian family, Saroo's journey to find his family is an astonishing one.
I first heard this story when my daughter showed me a trailer for the movie - I was floored by it. How is this even possible? And while I can't give the book five stars because the writing is a bit repetitive and not particularly beautiful, this is a five star miracle, in my opinion. Several times I was brought to actual tears, trying to imagine the emotions not only of Saroo but also of his birth mother and his adoptive mother. I appreciate Saroo's honesty in this memoir and the sense it gave me of just another way of life. His experiences while in India are just so foreign compared to my own, he and I were born at about the same time and his early life might as well have happened on another planet with how similar it was to mine. What we have in common? A mom that loves us. Siblings that we watch out for and that watch out for us. And those most precious things are what he left behind on that horrible train ride.
I loved that we get know the story from beginning to end. The audio version I listened to was well performed and compelling and I found myself wanting to talk about Saroo with all my reader friends.
2 comments:
I love this book. I agree that the writing isn't anything amazing, but it is very straightforward and readable. The journey Saroo went through it absolutely miraculous. I was wowed by his relentless determination and courage.
Did you see the movie? It was pretty good as well.
Now I want to watch the movie! Found it on amazon for rent. I'll watch it on my computer with headphones in and a box of tissues.
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