After the hellacious storms last week and not having power, I'm back to
What I'm Reading Wednesday! I just finished
Life of Pi by Yann Martel:
To be honest, I had some mixed feelings about this one. Don't get me wrong; it's definitely worth a try! The basic premise is that a young Indian boy on his way to Canada is the sole survivor of his sunken ship and stranded aboard a lifeboat with an interesting variety of zoo animals. The end of the novel has a little surprise twist, though. It may be pretty obvious to some readers, but I'm not the best at predicting endings to books and movies so it was definitely news to me.
My main issue with the book was that at points it became a little tedious because the majority of the action takes place in the confined setting of the lifeboat and I would have preferred to mix things up a little. However, the thing that still makes this book worth reading is the young boy's, Pi's, approach to religion, faith, and life in general. At the beginning of the book (before the ship sinks), Pi explains that he was raised a Hindu. To make a long story short, one day he discovers Christianity and decides he would like to practice this religion as well. He immediately runs to his Hindu temple to give thanks to his Hindu gods for placing Jesus Christ in his path. The following week, he discovers Islam and decides to become a Muslim, in addition to being a Hindu and Christian.
Pi practices all three religions with complete devotion and the unwavering faith of a child. It is only the adults who feel that this is unorthodox and that Pi must choose one. Pi responds, "If there is only one nation in the sky, then wouldn't any passport be valid?" I absolutely love this quote and the boy's simple love for God, unfettered by the constraints and demands of the adult world. Even if you're not religious, this book is worth reading simply to gain Pi's innocent childlike perspective on the world, unjaded by even the most horrific of circumstances.
Happy reading!
Cheers, Brooke
