Click Here To Purchase From Amazon Life Of Pi

Author: Yann Martel: Illustrator: Tomislav Torjanac

Publishers: Harcourt Inc

ISBN: 978-0-15-101383-8

Canadian author Yann Martel’s international bestseller Life of Pi was first published in 2002 and it was the recipient of the prestigious Man Booker Prize in that same year.  In  2007 this work of fiction was reintroduced with a Deluxe Illustrated Edition that now includes dazzling illustrations, contributed by Croatian artist Tomislav Torjanac, of some of the most unforgettable scenes of the narrative.

The narrative revolves around a most outrageous tale concerning a young boy, Piscine “Pi” Molitor Patel, who lived in Pondicherry, India.  Pi’s father was a zookeeper and as a result Pi learned a great deal about zoos and the diverse behavior patterns of the various animals. When Pi, who is a Hindu, reaches adolescence, he decides to experiment with different religions such as Christianity and Islam for he just can’t figure out how to find God or for that matter, himself.

Facing political oppression, Pi’s father decides that he has had enough with the politics of Mrs. Gandhi and opts to leave India with his family for Canada. On the 21^st of June 1977, Pi, who is now 16, together with his mother, father, and older brother as well as seven animals from his father’s zoo begin the long trek to Canada on a Japanese cargo ship, Tsimtsum.

Unfortunately, tragedy strikes and the cargo ship mysteriously sinks somewhere in the Pacific leaving Pi the sole human survivor- the result of being miraculously tossed into a lifeboat before the ship sank.

However, Pi is not alone on the lifeboat, joining him is a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger, a zebra, a hyena, and an orang-utan.

Pi, who now has front row seats, observes the survival of the fittest when the hyena demolishes the zebra; however, shortly thereafter the tiger devours the hyena. Pi, sensing the danger he is in, cleverly manages to avoid conflict with the tiger, which he has named, Richard Parker, by staying away from his territory on the deck of the boat.

In order to survive, Pi manages to fish and feed himself as well as the tiger. Eventually, the two are washed ashore upon a strange island that apparently was formed with tightly knit edible algae.

Pi meanders about and discovers some strange fruit containing human teeth in its center. He comes to the conclusion that it must have been a huge plant like organism that has previously gulped down a human.

From here the pair find their way to Mexico, where the tiger leaves Pi.  By the time Pi winds up in a hospital, we learn that he has survived 227 days from the day the Tsimtsum sank. How did Pi manage to live to tell the tale? Martel puts all of this into perspective when Pi is called upon to explain to the individuals investigating the sinking of the cargo ship.

Torjanac was an excellent choice in breathing new energy into the now classic tale.  It should be mentioned that Martel’s English publisher came up with the idea of an illustrated edition and Martel was agreeable to the idea since in the past fiction authors as Jules Verne and Mark Twain often had their adult books illustrated.

Before executing his poignant and dazzling images, Torjanac first read the book in English and then in Croatian. He uses oil paints enhanced with the combination of digital technology. And as you will notice, all the pictures are executed from Pi’s perspective. We never see his face only his elongated reddish brown hands and feet appear on some of the illustrations. Torjanac’s use of contrasting colours and perspective really take you into the scenes so marvellously imagined by Yann Martel. You feel the struggle, the hot relentless sun, the brutality of the stormy seas and Pi’s efforts for survival.

The animals are drawn to perfection. For example, the painting of the black leopard contrasting with a snowy mountain peak in the background is stunning. You can sense Pi’s disbelief, when he is informed that the family will be leaving India for Canada, just by looking though his eyes as they peer at his brother and parents. The scene of the storm and the sinking of the cargo ship will surely catch the eyes of the reader when Pi’s hands throw a lifebuoy to the Bengal tiger.

Particularly noteworthy is the last image in the book that is quite intriguing. It is here we notice a hand pressing a button on a tape recorder, which turns into a vase full of “flowers”- so you believe! However, if you take a second peek you find that the “bouquet” is really a summary of the entire novel. Look for Pi’s hands catching a fish, his mother, the hyena, the Bengal tiger, the meerkats, the carnivorous island, the Zebra jumping on the lifeboat. All the elements are cleverly assembled in a bursting posy of reddish, orange algae on a lush green background.

This second edition is a wonderful follow up and a superb work with its exuberant images that as the publisher’s publicity material mentions, “offers a fantastic insight on the unique creative process between writer and illustrator.”

Click Here To Purchase From Amazon Life Of Pi  

The above review was contributed by: The Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com, Norm Goldman, B.A. LL.L, Retired Title Attorney: Norm is also a travel writer and together with his artist wife, Lily, the couple meld Norm's words with Lily's art. To check out their travel site click on Sketchandtravel.com   Click here to view Norm’s Reviews & Interviews:

and 

Lily Azerad-Goldman, B.F.A, Artist: Click Here to view Lily’s Reviews

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