‘Life of Pi’ and stories with teeth

Not a tame lion (or a tame tiger…)

There’s so much fuss at the moment in the UK about the new Hobbit film, it would be easy to overlook the film version of Life of Pi (I haven’t seen either yet). The book it is based was thought to be unfilmable. Yann Martel’s fantasy deals with belief and metaphor, with an endearing central character, Pi. It also has a lot to say about the power of the mind and survival in all its forms.

Perhaps Life of Pi (which made an interesting companion while I was in Africa one summer) also says that the stories we tell may not change reality, but they can change our perception of it. As long as we believe our stories, does it matter if no-one else does?

It also tells us something about human relationships with animals and our limits of control.

If you haven’t read Life of Pi, I recommend it. If you’ve seen the film, let me know what you think.

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