Life of Pi is a joyful account of storytelling, a redeeming and uplifting novel, which also poses its share of philosophical questions. Martel plays obvious homage to Defoe (Crusoe) and Conrad (most of his seafaring novels), but Melville and Rushdie were the most obvious antecedents for me. Pi (or indeed Martel) is a wonderfully unreliable narrator, and his early existence in India — not to mention his saddling with an unfortunate name — is reminiscent of Rushdie at his best, per Midnight's Children. More broadly, Martel's framing device, per the author's seeming autobiographic and hence genuine preface - is designed such that the reader could ‘almost’ believe the whole story to be true. The main action of Life of Pi, of course, takes place on the Pacific Ocean, the eponymous narrator being marooned on a boat with a tiger. This is a forum not only for discussing man's relationship with nature (the sea), but also with animals. Martel makes a compelling and sympathetic case for zoos - and understanding the motivations of the animals therein. Being alone (but for a tiger) also forces the narrator to question his existence, both physical and spiritual. Martel seems to suggest that any/all deity/deities may provide a solution. More broadly, the author's point seems to be that stories - such as Pi's, and whether true or not - can provide an essential form of sustenance. Excellent. Ten out of ten.
By Yann Martel