Life of Pi

by: Yann Martel

This past winter as I was sifting through some used book stores in Thailand, a friend recommended this book to me.  The used price was more than I wanted to pay, but I picked it up this summer in the States.  Martel’s writing is simple yet profound, and his crafting of this story is exquisite.  I’m currently about 2/3 of the way through the book, so will withhold my final judgement for now, but I have thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve already read.  The worldview and theology of the main character will both challenge you and reveal a great deal about belief in a post modern world.  This is my “before bed” read, and I always find myself saying, “Just one more chapter,” only to finally turn off the lights four chapters later.

*Update: I finished this book about a week ago, and it’s still lingering with me.  My final assessment?  Definitely worth the read.  It will entertain you, it will surprise you, it will disgust you, and make you feel a boatload more emotions.  The ending will leave you wanting to read the whole book over again.  One of the key passages to the book (don’t worry, it’s not a spoiler) is the following:

I can well imagine an atheist’s last words: “White, white!  L-L-Love!  My God!”–and the deathbed leap of faith.  Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeast-less factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, “Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain,” and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story.