BY AMY PHILLIPS

 

A FIRST-person account of a young boy, Piscine Molitor, who gets shipwrecked aboard a lifeboat with a tiger called Richard Parker from the zoo he grew up in.

The premise enough is intriguing to warrant further exploration and I was very surprised that this book turned out to be as much of an interesting read as I found it.

There are two key themes to this book that are explored - animals and spirituality. Personally, I am not fond of either, so I thought this would be a difficult book to get myself in to., however, the tale has a good flow and good pacing.

Divided into three sections, Pi first describes his childhood in India, and then his and the zoo's life aboard the boat. The last section is Pi's story to the two Japanese ministry officials investigating the cause of the shipwreck.

This book was nothing like I had ever tried to read before - it was refreshing - I breezed through all 460 pages of it because it has that great combination of being well written but easy to read.

Life of Pi is so extraordinary and so emotional, that to try and trivialize it with any kind of comparison dampens the spirit of the book. It was one of the most eye-opening and expressive reads I have had in a while. My lack of faith going into the book only helped me to receive an extraordinary amount after it - not in religion, not in animals, but in general. It restored my spirits.

Everyone should read this book and after the last word, close it, and take a deep breath - you would be surprised on the reflection and satisfaction one feels upon its finale.

 

This book was published by Canongate Books Ltd and is available to buy for £8.99. It can also be borrowed from The Hive as well as other Worcestershire libraries. Click here to check availability and check it out.