It’s not that often that I read a work of fiction that seems to linger in my mind year after year, but Yann Martel’s ‘Life Of Pi’ is one such book. Based around a small lifeboat lost at sea, it charts the 227 days of survival featuring a cast of animals including a 450-pound Royal Bengal Tiger and Pi Patel a young Indian boy.
It’s difficult to categorise this book, and I think to do so would be a bit unfair, as it’s really out there on it’s own in terms of it’s quirkiness, and humble charm. I think back about my first time reading it and a little involuntary smile creeps across my face, that’s just the effect it seems to have on people. I’d be hard-pressed to say why exactly, it just exudes a quality, a sense of playfulness and creativity, whilst still retaining a certain depth of meaning.
To be perfectly honest, I’m half tempted to start reading it again now, and it’s only my focus to finish this review off that’s preventing me from doing just that. You see, it’s one of those books that despite positively beaming about to friends and family, no-one else seems to get enthusiastic about. The usual response received is something like “I don’t like maths, never have, never will”. Given that the book has absolutely nothing to do with maths, I find it an odd statement but true never-the-less! Another common one is; “a boy on a boat with animals? sounds boring”. Well boring this is not! It’s only when you discover someone else that has read it, do you get to share that secret little nod of appreciation for each others taste. It like being in the VW club, it’s a pleasure only known to those who have taken the time to acquaint themselves with it.
At 319 pages, it’s a reasonable read, and took me around 3-4 days to complete. I must admit, I nearly didn’t bother after reading the first 20 odd pages, I just couldn’t get into it. Now I don’t think that’s really a criticism of the actual story, more of my expectations having read the cover blurb. I was expecting to be straight in at the action, but instead found a lot of build up and scene setting which I found quite difficult to follow at times, mainly because my conscious mind kept butting in and saying “come on get to the boat bit!”. Luckily I’d purchased the hardback version for £12.99 at my local Waterstone’s, so one way or another I’d already committed to reading it fully for better or worse.
Take that last it with a pinch of salt, it’s a beautiful book with a masterly crafted story in which you really find yourself investing in, and caring about the outcome. Given the nature of the story in ‘Life Of Pi’, I wouldn’t recommend reading to many reviews on this one, just in case they give too much away. It would be like getting a blow for blow account of Sixth Sense or Fight Club before watching them- not a good idea!
Now don’t worry, I won’t go into the plot. I just want to try and convey the positive impact it has had on my life since reading it. Immediately after finishing the book, I felt like a veil had been lifted and that somehow had opened up a new level of creativity, a new concept of what was possible. Since then I’ve had time to reflect on the story and on how that fits with my own experience and understanding of the world. I’ve come to realise that it’s through committing ourselves to fully engage in this type of creative work, that we grow and learn more about ourselves. We develop new perspectives in ways that are perhaps not even connected to the original work. This is the true beauty of Life Of Pi by Yann Martel, it captivates the imagination in ways that few books do. It’s a catalyst for original thought, and that warm feeling that you’ve just experienced something that will always be with you.
To find out more about this book, click the book cover (right) to view it at amazon.co.uk.
