Larry Buttrose

Living in a poor Indian neighborhood with his mother and three siblings, Saroo was often left to fend for himself, begging neighbors for food and taking care of his little sister, even though he was only five years old himself. One evening, having followed his brother by train to another city, he unwittingly boarded the wrong train back home, instead arriving many hours later in Kolkata. In a country of more than 700 million people and not knowing the name of the city where he had come from, Saroo was placed in an orphanage and ultimately adopted by an Australian couple. Despite a happy childhood there, he never forgot his family in India, and as an adult he set out on what seemed like an impossible task to locate them.

Saroo's incredible story was turned into a feature film several years ago, and so having seen the film the trajectory was familiar, but it was still touching and inspirational. The writing is not complex, but it is heartfelt and honest, and I was amazed by Saroo's ability to hold onto such important memories from so young an age. I wonder how many other readers curiously followed along in Google Earth/Maps as he was zeroing in on the discovery of his hometown — I certainly was! Now that even more time has passed, I'm curious how things are going for Saroo, his old family and his new family. I hope they have kept in touch and been able to develop meaningful and fulfilling relationships.… (meer)