Yann Martel, Life of Pi

I will be really short. This is the only Yann Martel’s book that I red. Yann Martel is a Canadian writer. The Life of Pi is really amazing. Even more amazingly, it won a Man Booker Prize in 2002! In my view, it really deserved it. Even if they made a film out of it (not released yet, not interested in viewing it) it is a really good novel.

The story is vivant despite the lack of variation of the environment. It grows fast in the beginning then it gives the impression that the author lost himself too much into details, particularly when describing zoo gardens and animal habits. However, almost all details come in handy later on in the book. So, if you want more action, after the first hundred pages you will get it. You just need to be patient! If you want epic poetry, it is plenty all over the novel. If you prefer philosophical questions, take a spoiler here: “I don’t see why I can’t be all three. Mamaji has two passports. He’s Indian and French. Why can’t I be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim?”. If you prefer romance and erotic stories, or fight and war, then nope, this is not a novel for you. If you like humor, well, in this case, there is plenty all over the book. An educated one!

For me, the book was really nice, and the last 50 pages or so were truly unexpected. I should confess that I quite rarely find a novel to surprise me as much as this did when it came to a conclusion. Therefore, I thank Alexia who recommended the book to Mălina, who said that it is a nice novel that I may enjoy. So I did!

PS1. When reading this post, it is appropriate to use some Hoegaarden’s Le Fruit Defendu beer (yes, it is strong, take only one 33 cl bottle and poor it in a large cup - I used a Leffe glass).  You might also take a look at the bottle which caused uproar in the US, due to the almost naked bodies represented on it – in fact an adaptation of Reubens’ Adam and Eve). Finally, the coriander-spiced Belgian ale goes just nice with some early French organ music, or it did for me when writing this post ;)

PS2. Hint: Do not read Wikipedia’s entry about The Life of Pi! It has too many spoilers. Better read the book!

PS3. A good description of the Forbidden Fruit (the beer :p), in Spanish, is to be found in the blog Para Que Você Cerveza