Book Report - The Life of Pi

Title: The Life of Pi
Authour: Yann Martel
Length: 319 pages
How long it took me to read: 2.5 days

What it's about: Pi Patel, a God-loving boy and the son of a zookeeper, has a fervent love of stories and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Chrisianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family and their zoo animals emigrate from India to North America aboard a japanese cargo ship. Alas, the sip sinks - and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, and orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a 450-pound bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi. Can Pi and the tiger find their way to land? Can Pi's fear, knowledge, and cunning keep him alive until they do?

My take: I'm gonna do my take after the jump because there will be spoilers.

The ending is the most important part: The end has a twist that will Blow. Your. Mind.

Last word: I never ever thought I would say this ever, but the movie is enough. You don't have to read the book. The movie tells the story beautifully and is a visual feast, so I don't recommend the book, but I recommend the film.

The rest of my take: Holy Crap Yann Martel! The book was a great story, and then there was the end. The end will flip you on your head. DH and I saw the movie on a whim. It was the only thing playing at the time that we got to the theatre, and I was interested in it because it had won so many Academy awards. Usually I don't see a movie when I haven't read the book, but I was never planning on reading the book, so no skin off my nose. The story is beautiful and funny and entertaining as all get out. Then you get to the end and there's another story and it will flip you on your head! We left the theatre stunned. Great, I thought, now I have to read the book in order to get more insight on the ending. Well the book just gives more detail and gave me no more insight.

I had mentioned that I had seen the film to a friend and he said "You're still thinking about it, aren't you?". Um, yeah. Yann Martel is a genius authour in that he wrote a story that people will forever be talking about. You go Yann Martel! I mean it. This story stuck in my head so hard I had to go to the internet. I read on Wikipedia that the authour wanted to write a Story, and a story. Mission accomplished Yann Martel. I will never think about a sea turtle in the same way. Ever.

The stories just bounce around and around and around in my head and I just can't stand it any more. The visuals are seared into my mind's eye. Which one is true? That's so tragic, he must have had to make up this fantastic story just to survive the mental pain and anguish he went through. The second story is so horrifying. The first story is so beautiful. Why did he have to add the second story? It ruins the first story because now all I can think about is the horrible second story! Well guess what? NONE OF THIS MATTERS BECAUSE BOTH STORIES ARE MADE UP!! This is not a true story! This is the conclusion I had to come to in order to not end up in an asylum.

There was the point made that neither story gives any further insight as to how the ship sank, so it still doesn't matter which story is true. Was the authour trying to point out that religion is all how you look at it? That the conclusion is the same no matter what story you believe? That all religion is true?

Last thing: the whole you want to hear a story that will make you believe in God angle? I don't get it. This story did not make me believe in God, and I don't understand how it would make someone else believe in God. Is it because I already believe in God? This is a beautiful story of survival, miracles, and the love of God and of animals, but this story did not increase my faith in any way.