Book Review Blog #3

Life of Pi
By: Yann Martel


Piscine Molitor Patel, otherwise known as Pi, is an Indian boy from Pondicherry who grows up surrounding himself with religion, spirituality and of course animals from his father’s zoo. When the political situation in India worsens, Pi and his family decide to sell their zoo and move to Canada. The family travels on a large cargo ship with some of their animals that are being sold to zoos in North America. Unfortunately, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the cargo ship sinks leaving Pi on a lifeboat, but not alone. Pi is accompanied by a large Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, a female orangutan named Orange Juice, a wounded zebra and a spotted hyena. Pi comes to the conclusion that the only way he is going to survive and find rescue is if he co-operates with these dangerous animals.
Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, contains many themes that contribute to the development of the plot. These themes are love, courage, religion and the struggle for power and life. Pi has a strong sense of love for his family and god that gives him the courage to survive many gruelling days on the lifeboat. Pi is a religious boy who finds himself being accused of practicing three religions: Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. He does nothing more than “love God.” (76) and believes that “all religions are true.” (76) On the lifeboat, Pi finds himself in a constant struggle for power with the Bengal tiger, Richard Parker. He sets out on a mission to tame the tiger in order to save his own life from a bloody demise.
The author of the novel, Yann Martel, uses modern language and some of the slurs that come with it. The novel is written around a boy who becomes a teenager and the language exemplifies that. Yann Martel wrote the novel in first person, which was very effective. The story is told as a narrative when Pi is older and living in Canada. He recounts the story of his life and his struggle for survival on the lifeboat.
The issue of religion is raised in the novel and is the sole thing that relates to me. Like Pi, I sometimes find myself interested by the varying religions of the world. In the novel, Pi decides to study and take part Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Unfortunately, he finds himself torn between them when representatives from all three greet Pi and his family on a walk at the same time. However, he decides to continue with all three religions by lying low during ceremonies and rituals.
The interesting thing about this novel is that it relates to Great Expectations. In the novel, Pi is slowly becoming and man and having to make independent decisions on the lifeboat very much like Pip in Great Expectations. Both novels are based around the development of characters. Pi has to get used to his new surroundings on the lifeboat, which also happens to Pip when living in London.
I don’t think there was anything that the author could have done to improve this novel. I found it very easy to get into the novel and it turned out that I read the majority of it in one sitting. I enjoyed the humour, plot and interesting ways of survival that Pi had to take part in, which is why I would recommend it to others. I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults who are looking to read an interesting yet not very arduous novel. Life of Pi had a certain characteristic, whether it be the constantly changing plot or the style it which it was written, that held my attention for hours on end.
The constant use of metaphors, similes and personification enhanced the writing of this novel. Metaphors such as, “the water was so clean and clear you could have used it to make your morning coffee.” (12) make the novel witty and enjoyable for the reader. Along with this, similes such as “his narrow shoulders gave way to a massive stomach that looked like the base of a mountain,” (27) have the same effect on the novel. Also, the continued use of personification involving the Pacific Ocean such as, “the sea may shift from whisper to rage,” (239) make the writing very intriguing. The personification revolving around the ocean is a constant because other than the lifeboat, the ocean is the where Pi’s attention is constantly focused.
Life of Pi was a spectacular novel with a very interesting plot. I enjoyed reading this novel very much and it has become one of my favourites. I found the writing style of Yann Martel very appealing and I look forward to reading more novels by this author.