It’s very hard for me to admit this, but I couldn’t finish this novel.  This is a rare thing for me as a lover of literature and as a writer of fiction.  I always try to learn as much from other authors as I possibly can.  My apologies, Mr. Martel, I’m sure this was a wonderful book for someone interested in its premise, but I was not one of those people.

The book began rather captivating enough.  In fact, I was quite delighted with it and thought I had discovered a gem.  The contemplations upon differing religions and zoos invigorated my thoughts.  However, the book quickly took a turn for the mundane and stayed uneventful for a long number of chapters.  I would have loved to find out the ending of the story, but I can only read about the daily struggles of a boy trapped on a lifeboat for so long.  Keep in mind this is coming from someone who takes pride in sticking novels out to the very end, no matter what.

All in all, if you liked the film Cast Away, you’d probably enjoy this novel.  However, if you found yourself tapping your foot through said film, I’d pass on Life of Pi.