Life of Pi revisited

Category: Opinionated | 6 Comments | Posted 0:07

Another one of my (sort of) book review entries. Skip if not interested.

If you check my Right Now section on the right you'll see that I'm currently reading Self by Yann Martel (fiction/autobiography, with philosophical pretenses). I bought it in Glasgow cuz it was cheap and cuz I loved his 2nd book Life of Pi.

That one I bought cuz it had got raving reviews and won the Man Booker Prize 2002 (and probably was on a 3 for 2 offer). I didn't know much about it, but I remember reading something along the lines of how this book would make you turn to religion. I've tried to find that review now but all I can find is this on Amazon: "The realisation of the point the narrator makes to the Japanese investigators at the end made me laugh and cry at the same time and for the first time in ages I felt a tug at my soul towards a higher power."

There must have been sth else, but anyway, it made me a bit apprehensive of course. I still read the book. And I came out thinking "ok, if anything this has strengthened my conviction that religion is a scam." But I was intrigued of course cuz under the impression that the author had tried to convey the opposite and that it was I who had misinterpreted it because of my warped, anti-theistic view of the world.

But now I am reading Self. And finding out that Yann Martel is an atheist. Well there we go. I'm loving Life of Pi all the more now, because the conclusion I drew from it wasn't an accident originating in my atheism, but it was indeed what the author had intended (aah the intentional fallacy, most interestingly exemplified here!). What a marvellous book. You should all read it and be enlightened. *lol*

Incidentally, here's (my commented version of) Amazon's interesting recommendation:
Customers who bought books by Yann Martel also bought books by these authors:
Alexander McCall Smith - yep
Mark Haddon - yep
Alice Sebold - yep (both)
Monica Ali - yep (latest one I read!)
DBC Pierre - yep (the one before that!)
Am I too predictable or do I buy too many (recent) books?