“THE LIFE OF PI” BLOG, Week of May 5, 2014

THE LIFE OF PI, by Yann Martel.

Pi Patel, the protagonist of this improbable memoir, is so engaging and sympathetic that the reader is charmed into suspending disbelief just to share his fascinating adventures.

In this respect, the book reminds me of John Irving’s The World According to Garp and Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump.

The tiger on the cover reminds me of Pat Conroy’s Prince of Tides, another unlikely but darker story. An interesting side note: all four books are more autobiographical than they appear.

I didn’t think The Life of Pi was filmable, but was glad to discover I was wrong. Ang Lee’s movie is a treat and an emotional workout.

The World According to Garp and Forrest Gump, also good movies, star Robin Williams and Tom Hanks respectively.