Yann Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain, in 1963. After studying philosophy at Trent University, he pursued a career as an author. Since then, he has had several books published internationally, including "Life of Pi." He currently lives in Alaska.
"Life of Pi" is about a 16-year-old Indian boy named Piscine Patel. In the beginning of the story, Piscine (Pi, for short) started to experiment with religion. Having been born in India, Pi was already a Hindu; however, he quickly became fascinated with both Christianity and the Muslim community. Fast-forward to Part 2: Pi's father had to sell the zoo that he owned because of debt issues. The family was moving to Canada. They boarded a Japanese cargo ship called the Tsimtsum, which is where the story really, truly begins. Halfway along their journey, the Tsimtsum sank, leaving Pi alone in a lifeboat with a crippled zebra, a Royal Bengal tiger, a hyena and an orang-utan. The rest of the book is centered around Pi, as he struggles to survive.
"Life of Pi" takes place mostly in a large lifeboat, on the vast surface of the Pacific ocean; however, the beginning takes place in India, and the story closes in Mexico. The story is set in the late 1970's. Oddly enough, I found that the atmosphere was bright and uplifting, despite the many horrific details included in the story. I think the theme of the story is 'finding yourself,' because it seemed to take being the lone survivor of a sunk ship for Pi to discover what a gift life truly was, and that he had a purpose. This relates to the beginning of the novel, where Pi was trying to connect with God through not one, but three different religions, all at once.
Pi Patel is, of course, the protagonist of this story. One personality trait that I think Pi exhibits is curiosity. In the beginning of the book, Pi is curious about his religion. This is extremely evident, because he starts practicing three religions at once. Even while trying to survive on the lifeboat, Pi is constantly curious. Whether it's eating tiger feces or building shelter, his curiosity does not run out. A second trait is strong. Not as in physically strong, but emotionally and spiritually. His will to live was tremendous in the story. Pi did whatever it took to stay alive, whether it meant drinking turtle blood or catching a shark. He did not think long before acting, but he always made sure he was not being foolish. And he survived.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It really makes you think about life, and whether or not there's more to it than what we see each and every day. There's a lot that can be learned from reading this book, and I think that most people would benefit from it. It may seem a little dull at first, but give it a go! Give "Life of Pi" a try!
