TIGER! TIGER!
A
Review of Yann Martel's Life of Pi
by
Andrew
Salmon
The soon to be
released Ang Lee film of this story got me interested in reading the novel. A
runaway bestseller since publication, THE LIFE OF PI is not your standard
bestselling fare. But, of course, the question on every pulp fan's mind is: is
the novel pulp?
The answer: it
is and it isn't.
So why not judge
for yourself Here's the premise in a nutshell:
Pi, a
sixteen-year-old boy, is sailing from India to Canada with his family, and a
selection of animals from the family zoo aboard a Japanese freighter in 1977. A
sudden explosion below decks sends the ship into chaos as she starts to sink
quickly. In the scramble, Pi is tossed into a lifeboat as the ship sinks from
view beneath the waves. He is the only human survivor. All of his family has
perished along with the crew and the zoo animals. Well, not all the animals. It
turns out a zebra had leapt into the boat during the storm accompanying the
sinking, breaking a leg in the process. A hyena is also aboard and an
orangutang manages to scramble to safety the next morning. Pi is now trapped on
a lifeboat he shares with a selection of wild animals. Oh, did I mention that a
450-pound Bengal tiger is also along for the ride?
Now if that's
not the recipe for a great, pulpy adventure yarn, then what is? And it delivers
– for the most part.
The hyena soon
makes quick work of the zebra and the orangutang, the tiger (recovering from
shock and being doped prior to the sinking) takes care of the hyena. The only
thing left on the menu is Pi and a battle of wills ensues that, once read,
cannot be forgotten. Pi soon realizes that instead of letting nature run its
course with a tiger deprived of food and water, he must instead keep the beast
alive and well fed so it won't kill him in a crazed, starvation-driven frenzy.
These aspects of
the book are riveting as Pi goes into full-blown
Robinson-Crusoe-Tom-Hanks-talking-to-a-volley-ball survival mode, staying out
of the reach of the tiger in the process. I defy anyone to put the book down
while reading these sections. There's even a mysterious island of deadly algae
along the way as Pi deals with his grief and keeps the tiger at bay by using
his brain since brawn will do him no good against the beast. Done right, and
Ang Lee is the man to do it, the movie should keep viewers glued to their
seats.
Now for the bad,
the novel is so poorly written in places that you'll want to throw it across
the room. Endless pages scroll by with little or nothing to add except
pointless filler. Pi's family doesn't even step aboard the ship until 120 pages
in and long sections of the novel slide into Moby Dick territory with
brain-numbing pages dedicated to the particulars of the various fish and
animals Pi encounters. Some of this dreck is mildly interesting, some of it is
there to expand the themes, but most of it takes away from the grand adventure
this tale is meant to be and the horrors lurking behind Pi's situation.
I never thought
I'd say this, but I urge readers to pick up the book and skim through these
'intermissions'. As a writer myself, I could have my quill confiscated for even
suggesting such a thing but I feel the adventure sections of the novel are just
too good to throw out with the bath water. The other option is to wait for the
movie where, no doubt, the endless, needless passages will be excised. But,
hey, this is a book review.
All in all, LIFE
OF PI, has all the makings of a truly great adventure yarn. You will root for
Pi and grieve with him. He is in a no-win situation but refuses to give up –
the very essence of a pulp character. Whether you try the book or await the
film, this is a story not to be missed.
