Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
What a unique read! I say that because I can't quite say I enjoyed all of it, nor did I dislike all of it. So I am stuck with a paradox of a story that is quite different from any other I have read. I feel I know more about zoo keeping and the animal kingdom than I ever have before and am more acquainted with guts and gore than ever before as well. Reading the book did not make me want to see the movie, let's put it that way. Too much animal entrails involved to make me curious enough to see what the movie shows and doesn't.
The premise of the book is that a boy, Pi, ends up on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger in the middle of the Pacific ocean. It is his story of survival. Keep in mind, he grew up in a zoo, so he had a great deal of knowledge and understanding of animals. This helps him tremendously. If you have any interest in learning about zoo-keeping or animal training, there are some helpful tidbits.
On a theological level, Pi is extremely mixed up and does not know what end is up. He considers himself Christian, Hindu and Muslim, which despite what he says, is really not possible. This is explored much in the beginning of the book, but then sort of takes a back seat to the survival story.
I don't know how to rate this book. Read it if you are curious and it's laying around. But I would say you're not missing anything if you skip it.
Has anyone else read this? What were your thoughts?
And If anyone sees the movie, let me know what you think about that too!
