Life of Pi

Author: Yann Martel
Genre: fiction, adventure
Publication info: Harcourt, 2001
Pages: 326

And finally, novel #5.

What a transition from Angels & Demons. I'll bet the publishers of the two books would never have imagined the same person reading both of them, let alone consecutively. I did it, but it wasn't easy.

Whereas the Dan Brown novel is a fast-paced thriller, Life of Pi is a leisurely, thought-provoking novel. At half the length of the previous book, it took me about twice as long to read. I really had to get my brain warmed up after the numbing (and a bit of dumbing-down) of Angels & Demons. It was so hard at first that I complained vocally about the book for a while.

But enough comparison. Life of Pi is a finely written book. Very imaginative, very cleverly worded, and sometimes very funny. It tells the story of Pi Patel (his full name is Piscine Molitor Patel, which he explains at length), the son of a zookeeper in India. The first part of the book deals with Pi's experiences at the family zoo as well as his keen interest in religion. He ends up practicing three normally incompatible relgions at the same time (leading to a pretty funny standoff with the leaders of each). Life isn't necessarily easy for this boy, but it is rich.

Then circumstances in India lead the family to sell their zoo and move to Canada. Only a few of the animals join them on the journey by boat. Sadly, the boat sinks, with Pi as the only survivor. Well, him and a few of the animals, including an adult Bengal tiger. Now Pi must figure out how to survive on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a tiger as a companion.

So it's a survival story with a clever twist. And with some deep philosophical implications, as it turns out. I had a hard time with the narrator's musings that took up most of the first part of the book, and the language seemed too clever to be enjoyable, but once the survival part started, I was really hooked. The details are very well done. Sometimes the detail gets to the point of nastiness, but I felt like a stronger person for having gotten through them, just as Pi certainly becomes.

When I reached the end of the book, I felt that I had taken a satisfying journey. Life of Pi raises some questions about religion that at first glance seem basic but are actually quite deep and are treated in a unique way here. Give this book a try if you haven't already. I know it was pretty popular when it came out in 2001, so I'm a little late in saying this, but it's not too late for you to experience the oceanic adventure that is Life of Pi.