Reviews: (by author)

Martel, Yann. The Life of Pi. Harvest Books, 2003. ISBN 0156027321. $14.

Yann Martel makes the unbelievable sound credible in Life of Pi. Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize, Life of Pi is an exhilarating adventure tale of survival, a novel about human and animal relationships, an examination of the coming-of-age of a young boy, an informational narrative about zoos and zoology, and a meditation on religion and fate woven into one cohesive, fantastical story. Yet through Martel’s detailed narrative and numerous digressions, the reader never loses sight of how cleverly and effectively Martel tells his story.

In essence, Life of Pi is about an Indian teenager, Pi (short for Piscine) and a 450-pound Bengal tiger stranded together on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. In the first part of the novel, Pi is an adult reflecting on his childhood. The son of a zookeeper, Pi possesses extensive knowledge about animal behavior and human interaction with animals. Pi is also well read and very inquisitive about religion. He practices Christianity and Islam along with his native Hinduism. Pi’s understandings of animals and religious faith are central to the second half of the novel.

Because of political turmoil in India, Pi and his family leave for Canada aboard a Japanese cargo ship. The ship sinks halfway through the journey leaving Pi and four animals (an injured zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger) as the only survivors aboard a lifeboat. Nature slowly takes its course as the predators eat their prey, leaving Pi and the tiger, Richard Parker alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Pi explains that the tiger’s name is due to a clerical error when the tiger arrived at his father’s zoo. Richard Parker was the hunter who found the tiger; however, there was an error in the tiger’s paperwork and the name stuck.

Martel describes how Pi survives 227 harrowing days at sea with a tiger. Pi’s knowledge about animals allows him to tame Richard Parker. He understands that his survival depends on the tiger’s survival: “it was not a question of him [Richard Parker] or me, but of him and me … we would live—or we would die—together” (164). Pi establishes dominance over Richard Parker by becoming his only food supplier and manages to survive a life at sea.

In the novel’s final chapters, Pi arrives in Mexico with Richard Parker. Residents of Mexico find Pi resting on the beach and send him to the hospital. Pi’s companion, Richard Parker, takes off into the jungle. Two Japanese officials visit Pi in the hospital and question him about the sinking of the ship and his survival. Pi relates his life at sea with Richard Parker, but the men are skeptical and insist that he tell the truth. In order to appease the officials, Pi shares a second story. Pi’s new story replaces the animals with four humans: his mother, the cook, a sailor, and Pi. Pi explains that the sailor broke his leg jumping into the lifeboat and the cook cuts off the leg to use as bait. The sailor dies and the cook butchers the dead body in order to eat the flesh. Disgusted at the cook’s cannibalism, Pi’s mother gets into an argument with the cook. Infuriated and annoyed at Pi’s mother, the cook kills her. Outraged about his mother’s death, Pi kills the cook a few days later.

After hearing Pi’s second story, the officials are shocked by the alarming parallels between the animals in the first story and the humans in the second. Pi leaves it ambiguous as to which survival tale is true, but asks the officials which one they prefer. Both men agree, “the story with the animals is the better story” (317). Pi’s second account of survival may be more factual, but when the officers admit the animal story is better, Martel is alluding to the idea that facts are not necessarily accurate representations of experiences. Perhaps slightly farfetched, Pi’s adventure with Richard Parker appears closer to the truth of what it was like for Pi to endure 227 days at sea.

Martel’s brilliant storytelling and eloquent writing are sure to capture every reader’s interest. Life of Pi keeps you thinking even after reading the final page. It is an unforgettable story that can be read again and again, each time with a new understanding. Truly unique and filled with colorful details, this is a novel I highly recommend.

Highly recommended.
Melissa Posa, June 2007

Back to reviews L-Q