Life of Pi, Part 1

Part 1 of Life of Pi was more than I expected. Just through the Author's Note, I was pulled into the story. In the Author's Note, the author gives the reader a clue into the book's origins even as it blurs the boundary between fact and fiction. The Author's Note blends facts and fictions about Yann Martel's own inspiration for the book to illustrate the central theme of the book: storytelling. After two unsuccessful books, Martel meets Francis Adirubasamy in a coffee shop. His meeting with Francis Adirubasamy later turns into a long conversation as Francis tells Martel a story about Pi Patel. At this point, I became a bit confused. Does Pi Patel really exist? However, after re-reading their meeting and continue reading the Note, the answer is no. I'm glad that I read the Author's Note of this book. It revealed a lot of interesting information that I probably will need to fully understand the meaning behind this book. From this point forward, I'll be sure to read the Author's Note of books before I jump into the actual story.

In the book, the reader can sense that Pi has endured something devastating, but we, as the readers, do not know what exactly happened. I was a bit confused. Did I miss where he told the audience what happened? Or is the author keeping this event a secret for a while? One of my favorite parts of Part 1 was when Pi talks about the zoo. Pi grew up in the zoo which, in the end, shaped his belief system, taught him about animal nature, and taught him many significant lessons about the meaning of freedom. I also loved how Pi uses the zoo as his outlet when he needs a place to think. I also loved how this book makes me think about what is actually going on. Usually, when I read a book, I can follow along easily and know what is going on. However, while reading Life of Pi, I found myself re-reading many parts of the book to fully understand the meaning and what is going on. Life of Pi so far is definitely a good read. I can wait to see what else this book has in store of me!