I finally finished Yann Martel’s Life of Pi yesterday.

My amateur review at my Librarything:

This is my first Man Booker book and I can see it won the hearts and minds of the judges for at least one reason: originality.

Reading it, I can’t help but admire Martel’s zoology knowledge and research. I now know much more about the habits and practices of wild animals in captivity!

Of course, one must not ignore the underlying messages of survival, the resilience of the human spirit, and of faith that are so uniquely presented in Martel’s elegant prose.

Life of Pi is a surprisingly easy book to read. I was expecting difficult language and flowery, high-brow stuff as was my impression of award-winning literature. I think the subject matters written about were more challenging to tackle, as there are moments of savagery that may shock or at the very least disagree with the delicate reading palate of the reading public. And yet, Martel is able to relate these scenes in an even and gentle voice, almost as though he was talking, instead, of the migrating habits of birds rather than the slow and painful death of a zebra being eaten alive by a hyena.

An interesting, enriching read.