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Life of Pi is like The Old Man and the Sea kicked up a notch with wild animals that certainly don’t belong in the ocean and a 16-year-old boy. Part 1 of the story is full of amusing honesty, entertaining writing and fascinating educational passages about religion and animals. One of the most interesting themes in the book is how similar zoology and religion are. I didn’t know they were similar either, but the stuff that the author points out kind of blew my mind. Part 2 is an incredible tale of survival. Why are tales of survival so enduring and riveting? He fishes, he eats, he drinks, and I’m glued to the pages. The way the plot is told is very interesting. You know a lot of facts up front. It’s not one of those stories that makes you wonder if or when he gets rescued. The thing that moves the plot along is the awesome journey that Pi takes physically and mentally.
I couldn’t stop thinking about this book. I have pages and pages of notes, questions, and thoughts gathered from while I was reading it. I had no idea going into this book that it would fill my mind with so many deep thoughts and questions. And yet this was not a difficult book to read. The writing is stunning and flows very well. The only reason it took me so long to read the book is I kept pondering the meaning of life. The ending, quite simply, took me completely by surprise. It was so twisty … that I can’t even put it into words. Read this book – you won’t be the same again.
Rated: Moderate. There is no sexual content, and not much in the way of language except for a few instances in the story in which words like the s-word and p-word are used for bodily functions rather than cursing. What makes the book a moderate is primarily the parts of the story that describe in some detail the killing of animals and using and eating them and their parts. Some of it can be fairly gruesome for those who are of weak stomach. There are a few brief spots of real violence rather than just killing of sea creatures for food, as well.
