Life of Pi

Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
a kate west favorite

A profoundly moving novel, "Life of Pi" will touch you like no other. Piscine Molitor Patel (PI, as in 3.14), loves his childhood in India. Not only does his father run a zoo, which is glorious, but he also has wise tutors and a loving family to help him become a man. He learns everything there is to know about animals, from an emotional and clinical perspective. No anthropomizing here. All of these experiences in imagination help him greatly when he needs them the most. It is also a novel that explores all aspects of humanity and delves into the nature of religion. And Pi studies them all.

The most amazing adventure of his life begins during the family migration to Canada (complete with menagerie). Pi ends up lost at sea. It is there where he can truly test his worth, in the most surreal, beautiful and savage way possible. The poetic prose is as lyric as the Pacific Ocean itself and Pi only has the words inside his own head to cling to. It would not be fair to describe the journey, or the aftermath, or any of the various conclusions you might come to as a reader. In spite of over three hundred pages of philosophizing, we still do not quite know what is real in the end. Better to read it for yourself and give Pi the ending you think he deserves.

First publised in 2001 and winner of the Man Booker Prize, "Life of Pi" is an unforgettable experience and you will reflect on it for months afterwards. Don't think about the fact that someone now wants to make a movie out of it. Enjoy the original.


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Life of Pi