| “Life of Pi” is the winner of a Man Booker prize for good reason. It is an exceptional book that is entertaining, spiritual and philosophical. It often takes a while before you begin enjoying a new book, but this book is the exception to the rule. You are immediately drawn into its magnificent tale.
This book is the story of Piscine Molitor Patel, a young Indian boy who is faced with the challenge of his life aboard a life boat with a Bengal tiger. It is a story of survival, perseverance in the face of adversity, and unfailing faith. In many ways, the story is reminiscent of many equally uplifting stories found in the Bible. |
The story teaches and provides moral guidance without being preachy. It is entertaining and witty. Here is an example from the first couple of pages: “When you’ve suffered a great deal in life, each additional pain is both unbearable and trifling. My life is like a memento mori painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of the folly of human ambition. I mock this skull. I look at it and say, ‘ You’ve got the wrong fellow. You may not believe in life, but you believe in death. Move on!’ The skull snickers and moves ever closer, but that doesn’t surprise me. The reason death sticks so closely to life isn’t biological necessity–it’s envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can.”
Pi, as Piscine chooses to have people call him, begins his story with a quest for God. He joins the Catholic, Muslim and Hindu religions and faithfully attends all services. He does not see a conflict in seeking God in any and all ways. The spiritual leaders of these faiths do not see things quite the same way and think that there is a conflict. Pi decides to continue observing all three faiths, regardless of pressure on him to choose one.
Pi’s dad runs a zoo in India. From his observations of animals and their behavior, Pi imparts wisdom to the reader. He has a particular telling passage on captivity: “The life of the wild animal is simple, noble and meaningful, they imagine. Then it is captured by wicked men and thrown into tiny jails. Its ‘happiness’ is dashed. It yearns mightily for freedom and does all it can to escape. Being denied its ‘freedom’ for too long, the animal becomes a shadow of itself, its spirit broken. So people imagine. This is not the way it is.”
I could quote the book forever. It is truly inspiring fiction that deserves a spot on your bookshelf and your friend’s–buy two copies.
