Another BFF selection.
This book was given to me by my Bff Jill Wendy. (Does anyone get why I always say " Bff Jill Wendy?")
Wendel kept asking me had I read it, had I read it. I was almost hesitant. It's a "popular" book. I don't want to go with the flow. Some recent popular books have been a let-down to me.
If you do not want SPOILERS, STOP NOW! This is your one and only warning.
This is a terrific book, go figure. The writing is fluid. I enjoy reading writings in English of people in other countries (when done right, Mr. Hemingway!). I can feel India in Pi's thoughts and speech. It permeates his actions and I like when a writer can do that.
Pi Patel is a young Indian Hindu living with his family in a Zoo, owned by his parents. He sees the beauty in every animal in there. He sees their purpose, their souls, and has great respect for them. He sees God in everything around him. His love of God is so great, he decides he wants to practice Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, much to the chagrin of the 3 religious leaders of the three religions he practices. When confronted by all three men, he shyly states that all he wants to do "is love God." In college in Toronto later in life, he double-majors in Zoology and Religion. Can anyone see the irony there? Science vs. Religion?
The author describes Pi's life in school (his name is Piscine which means "Pool" in French, and is forever called "Pissing" by his classmates. He changes his name to Pi, while in their upper schools - like high school here I suppose.) While in high school, his parents decide to sell the zoo and its various animals and move from India to Canada. After the details of the selling of animals to various zoos around the world, they embark on a Japanese cargo ship, some animals in tow, towards their new life.
As his parents and brother sleep, he walks to the surface of the vessel. It is sinking. In the melee, some officers throw him into a large lifeboat, atop a zebra with a broken leg. The lifeboat ends up in the sea. As he is floating, he sees Richard Parker and is ecstatic. He whistles and yells encouragement to Richard Parker. Hurry, Hurry! You can make it to the lifeboat, HURRY. As Richard Parker approaches the lifeboat, Pi FINALLY asks himself "What the hell am I DOING??" You see, Richard Parker is a Tiger.
The rest of the book deals with the animals that are in this life boat. An evil hyena, a female orangutan names Orange Julius, the zebra with the broken leg and the groggy Richard Parker, who hides under the tarp, still groggy from the effects of the tranquilizers given to him for his trans-Atlantic voyage.
The hyena begins to dispatch with the animals - the zebra first, then the orangutan, whose head he pulls off. He does not know Richard Parker is under the tarp. Pi tries to find provisions on his side of the lifeboat, which he finds under the tarp near Richard Parker.
Eventually, Richard Parker awakens and kills the hyena.
The rest of the book deals with the psychology of animals and how Pi must "train" Richard Parker to believe he (Pi) is still the alpha male. The author describes Pi's long, arduous journey. Supplies run out, so he begins to fish and collect rain water. He continues to pray. He feed Richard Parker, he prays to God.
After seven months, seven!, and several grueling adventures, they finally wash ashore in Mexico and Richard Parker runs into the woods forever.
The Japanese company comes to interview him after he has been hospitalized.
and here is where the story gets weird.
He tells his story to the men, which is basically the story we have been reading. The Japanese men do not believe him. Over & over he tells them what happened. They think he is insane. Pi asks them if what they are looking for from him is a believable story. When they agree, he tells a different, shorter story. A story about survivors on the boat. His mom, himself, a cook and a Chinese sailor with a broken leg.
The cook terrorized them. First he cut off the broken leg of the Chinese sailor and used the flesh as bait. When the sailor died, he stripped the flesh for bait, and ended up eating it. Pi's mom and the cook fought bitterly, to the end, where the cook decapitates Pi's mom. In the end, Pi kills the cook.
What are we to believe? Is the zebra really a Chinese sailor? Is the cook the hyena. Is his mother the orangutan? Is Pi really Richard Parker, who kills the hyena? What are we to believe - that a man can survive 7 months on a ship with a Tiger? Or with a cannibalistic cook? Can your faith in God allow you to believe the Tiger story or the human one?
I, for one, am staying with the Tiger story.
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