Oracle Book Club

Book Review: Life of Pi

Read this absolutely amazing book while coming from Delhi by train.
I had some 26 hrs to kill and since I've heard a lot about the book, I
kinda picked it in the local old-books market.

The book is about a 16 year guy who gets shipwrecked.
He is left with a zebra, a hyena, a chimpanzee and a 450 Kg tiger in a
lifeboat.
How he survives and makes it through is what the book is about.
The name of tiger is Richard Parker :-)

It is a book which explores into psychology in testing times.
It kinda tells to what heights a person will go; just to survive.
In a nutshell, this is a book of life. It highlights the jest for life.
It kinda shouts in your face - Life is short. Get on with living.

One of the images which keeps on flashing into my mind is that this 16
yr old boy Pi stumbling into another survivor.
However by that time both these survivors had gone blind.
The expected reaction at this time would be that these two survivors
will try to help each other and try to make it through.
I was stunned into disbelief when I realized that the other survivor was
trying to eat Pi as he had run out of his food supplies and cannot fish,
having gone blind.

The other vividly remembered portion of the book is when Pi's father( a
zoo keeper) is trying to explain to him why he should never disturb the
animals even though they look innocious. He takes him into cages of
lions which haven't been fed for 3 days.
Then he shows him how the lions react when a live sheep is brought in
front of them.
Surely a lesson Pi could never forget in his lifetime.

The book gets into the heads of the guy and the tiger.
It explains beautifully the concepts of how animals are territorial and
get upset and turn violent incase of even a slight change in their
environment.
It takes you through the world of oceans, and sharks, and tigers and
carnivoros islands.
It thrills and enthralls. Keeps you looking out for what is coming next.

An amazing read.

posted by Anonymous @ 3:28 PM