BOOK REVIEW: Life of Pi, a Novel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A book of extremes. It's about losing EVERYTHING that is important to you ALL AT THE SAME TIME, and SIMULTANEOUSLY facing insurmountable obstacles. Death by sharks versus death by tiger. Death by the elements versus death by starvation. Survival by the sheer will to live. By paying attention to what your parents were trying to teach you.

This book shows that FAITH is a MUST if you expect to make it. That HARD WORK is our best friend in the direst of moments. That we can only rely on ourselves in this world so we'd better figure out HOW TO DO THAT.

Did I love it? I don't know. I was very much connected to Pi Patel, the story's protagonist. I had a very strong will to read the entire book to see if he would survive, even though I knew he would, as he was the one telling the story. But as I had no idea HOW he was possibly going to go about living in his poor of poorest states, I plowed through the pages to find out. And find out I did.

Sometimes I felt like the writer was trying to make me feel like I should be appreciative for my lot in life, as it could get worse. I could be shipwrecked, stuck on a tiny lifeboat with a 450-pound Bengal tiger, with no one searching for me, no one even knowing about me. When I thought that was what Yann Martel, Life of Pi's author, was trying to make me feel, I was slightly resentful. What does HE know about my lot in life? How does he know it's better than this?

Plainly, because just about anything has to be better than the situation Pi Patel found himself in.

Ultimately, I think I would recommend this book to others because it has some good lessons in it, because it's a beautiful testament to how powerful fiction can truly be. Well done, Yann Martel, well done. If I ever write a book half as good as yours, I will feel very accomplished.

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