Life of Pi

Last year, I wrote a post on Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, at approximately page 120. I wrote with a rather negative connotation, as I didn't think too much of the book at the point where I was. However, the real story was just getting started. After Pi (the main character) manages to survive being thrown overboard along with a large party of zoo animals, he spends the rest of the book in a lifeboat. That lifeboat starts out with nearly an entire zoo worth of exotic creatures, but ends with only Pi and a tiger named Richard Parker. Throughout the novel, the Yann Martel explores the concept of humans coexisting with animals. However, he also subtly turns it into a survival book; something which I believe endears it to a far greater audience than if it merely explored relations between man and beast. The book is written in a manner that provides enough detail to bring out the realism, but doesn't go overboard (no pun intended) to bore the reader.  But at the very end of the book, it turns to an entirely new idea. As Pi is questioned about his experiences by authorities, his story is cast aside because of not only how incredible it is, but also that it comes from a child. This isn't clearly stated, but I inferred it because of subtle hints in the language of the questioning adults. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. If one can get past the initial hurdle of the first 120-ish pages, anybody with an interest in animals, survival, or deeper concepts between humans and animals will likely enjoy Life of Pi. On a side note, the beginning of the book makes it sound like a book on religious theory, but that changes after Pi is sent on his watery journey.