BOOK REVIEW: The Life of Pi

I just finished reading a most amazing book. It is called the Life of Pi and it was written by Yann Martel.

In this book, a young Indian boy (eastern Indian, not Native American) named Piscene Patel (Pi for short) experiences life as the son of a zoo keeper in India. Pi experiences the cruelty of his peers at times and discovers religion. He practices Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity while taking a keen interest in science at school. His experiences being around animals and his observations of their behavior lead to some very interesting discoveries about the way humans behave. Pi realized that being free in the wild is not liberating to animals, it is scary. Humans too need structure, order, and a lack of uncertainty in order to feel at ease.

The political climate in Pi's native India changes, and his father decides to take their family to Canada. They sell of as many of the zoo animals as they can and bring some with them on their journey to have them delivered in Canada. They begin their travel on a cargo ship as it begins its journey across the Pacific. The ship has engine troubles so they stop in Manila for repairs. They are on their way again shortly, but Pi finds himself mysteriously awakened in the middle of the night. He climbs to the deck and the pouring rain only to discover moments later that the boat is sinking. His family is no where in sight, and some crew members toss him in a lifeboat. This is where the real story begins.

Pi is not alone in the lifeboat. He is joined by four others: a tiger, a zebra, a hyena, and an orangutan. The story continues as the animals interact under the harsh conditions of the open ocean and the laws of nature. Pi calls upon his experiences from living in the zoo to frame his experiences. He manages to successfully defend his territory from ferocious predators while learning how to survive on the open ocean.

The story ends with Pi Patel finally reaching land. He is hospitalized for a time in Mexico, and some representatives from the company that owned the cargo ship come to meet with him and gather information about the ship's sinking for insurance purposes. Pi relates the story of his coexistence with the animals, much to the disbelief of the two men. Pressed by the representatives, Pi translates the characters in his story to human form and re-tells the events of the past 8 months. At this point, one begins to wonder whether his companions really were animals, or whether he characterized his companions by an animal they most resembled. The story ends fairly quickly thereafter leaving the reader to wonder how much of the story was literal and what elements were metaphorical. In fact, some parts of the story remain so unexplained that the reader feels compelled to try to come up with his or her own explanation.

The Life of Pi is a fascinating tale of one human's encounter with God, the ocean, and his own nature. His journey through expansive geography, through spiritual awakening, and through mental and physical trials is both inspiring and sobering. I recommend this book to readers of all ages and backgrounds without hesitation.