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In anticipation of the movie, I thought I would post my thoughts
on Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, one
of my all-time favorite books. I hope Director Ang Lee can do it justice on the big
screen.
When sixteen-year-old Pi Patel’s family (his father is proprietor
of the Pondicherry Zoo) decides to move from India to Canada and boards a Japanese
cargo ship (with many of the zoo’s animals in cages below deck), the story that
unfolds is an incredible, unnerving one. Only days into the journey, the ship
sinks and leaves Pi the only survivor aboard a life boat with an ailing zebra,
an orangutan, a hyena and a male Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. How can Pi possibly
survive?
But Life of Pi is
not really about a young castaway and a tiger. Rather, it is an exploration of
faith and tolerance. As Pi is set adrift (literally!) with only himself and God
to chart the waters of survival, he must learn to live with Richard Parker, who
represents all of life’s fears and challenges.
I loved this book
because it leaves you asking a lot of questions. What actually happened on that
life boat? Be warned that this is not a light read, especially the first
section. But, I’d
love to know what you think once you’ve had the chance to read this award-winning
novel. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
