Book Review: Life of Pi by Yann Martel

I remember it being years ago when I saw the movie adaptation of Life of Pi in theaters. I have, to this day of writing this, only seen it once. However, I remember being fond of the film. I just never ended up getting it on DVD or anything.

When I got the opportunity to buy and read this book in English, which is my preferred language for reading, I of course took it. So let’s see how well the book holds up. This is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Mild spoilers ahead.

The book begins with an exploration of Pi’s youth, religious leanings and life at the zoo of his parents. When he turned sixteen, they decided to take a ship to Canada, taking the zoo critters with them, to start up a new life in said land. However, the boat sinks, leaving Pi alone on a lifeboat for well over 200 days, with a huge tiger.

At first I wasn’t really sure what to think of the book. Again, it’s been years since I last saw the movie, and I wasn’t sure if I was a fan of the whole spiritual aspect of it. The book says it’ll make you believe in God after you’ve finished the story. Spoiler alert: I don’t believe in God still. However, I did eventually find myself liking the whole spirituality aspect, especially in the earlier pages.

Do I agree with everything Pi said or believed in? No, obviously not. But I found it refreshing that rather than choosing one true religion to cling to, Pi chose to practice three at the same time. Is that possible? Gatekeepers probably say no, but it’s his life and his decision.

Ah, well, that’s just my take on the whole religious aspect of the book. How does the rest hold up? Surprisingly well. I really expected to be bored after a while, reading over 300 pages of a guy alone in a boat with a big cat, but it never felt that way. Sure, things sometimes would feel drawn out, but never to the point it got tedious.

I really liked Martel’s way of writing, which drew me in from the very start. I continuously was engaged and never really wanted to put the book down. Just the whole concept of the story was interesting enough to keep me wanting to read, too, even though I’d already seen the film.

The ending may be a cop-out for some. I won’t be spoiling it here, but if you’re familiar with the story, you ought to know what I’m talking about. However, I found the ending revelation rather intriguing. I feel like whatever the reader takes away from the ending, you’ll definitely take away something positive from the book.

Overall, Life of Pi was a very engaging read brimming with themes of survival, spirituality and inner strength. This one’s getting a good four out of five stars from me.

Rating: 4/5