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Author Gregory David Roberts has said a sequel to cult hit Shantaram (Abacus) should be completed by May, and “might be available in December”.
Shantaram, the author's 944-page debut, is based on Roberts' experiences of life on the run in the Bombay underworld. First published in the UK in 2005, it has sold over one million copies on the Little, Brown/Abacus list alone, according to the publisher's figures. Nielsen BookScan has recorded sales of 393,017 copies, with 2013 – when Abacus reissued the novel with a new cover as part of its 40th birthday celebrations – seeing sales of 31,227.
On a post on his Facebook page, Roberts said that he is on the 13th rewrite of new book The Mountain Shadow and that his hope is that from the first page readers will “know that you're back on a journey through unfamiliar territory, but in sync with others in a search for truth, love and faith”.
He added that he hoped to meet a May deadline for the book, and that it could be published by the end of the year, although Antonia Hodgson, editor-in-chief at Little, Brown, said there was no publication date yet for the novel.
Roberts - who claimed to be in “creative seclusion” in his writing studio in Bombay, without even email or a mobile phone - said it was “not for want of inspiration or circumstance that the new novel is taking so long”.
“When I wrote Shantaram, I was writing for a blank slate,” Roberts said. “With this novel, I'm not just writing for blank slate readers who've never read a word of my work: I'm also writing for readers who found something in Shantaram, and I want to give them a sequel as fragrant to complete the journey they began with Lin and Karla.
“I'm writing with a profound commitment to the love written and sent to me in thousands of emails from readers. I'm taking so long with this book, into my 13th rewrite, putting penance into my pages, because I don't want to let down that love; I don't want to let you down.”
Roberts said The Mountain Shadow is “faithful to the spirit of Shantaram, but with a faster pace toward its own truth and resolution”.
Hodgson said: “We can confirm that we will be publishing The Mountain Shadow. We haven't confirmed a publication date yet. Naturally we are delighted that the writing process is going well and are all very excited about the book.”