Road trip reading

Life of Pi - by Yann Martel – A Review


Background and Characters


The main protagonist in this rather interesting novel is a remarkable Indian boy, called “Pi” Patel, (Pi being a shortened version of his full name). He grows up in Pondicherry, India and his father is the curator and owner of the local zoo and as such he develops a passion for zoology.


Pi is quickly shown to be a different sort of individual, almost Zen like as he comes from a Hindu family and shows the requisite observations, however he also worships in the local catholic church and then meets a Muslim cleric who makes quite an impression on him and promptly adds Islam to his devotional repertoire. However even though he embraces such a diverse spread of religions and actively practices them all, he doesn’t come across as religious at all, merely someone seeking the truth amidst much confusion and someone who seems to understand that the best way to grasp the absolute truth is to sample it in all flavours.


That being said, religion does not play much role in this book and from here on out, faith and psychology are more of the undercurrent.


The Plot


The crux of the story is this: Father wishes to move the zoo from India to Canada, animals are loaded onto boat, boat sinks, Pi is only survivor in a life raft which he shares with an Orangutan, a spotted Hyena, a zebra with a broken leg and “Richard Parker”, a 450 pound Bengal Tiger. Hyena eats Zebra and Orangutan, Tiger eats Hyena…leaving boy and tiger alone together on a life raft floating amidst the great blue Pacific Ocean….for 227 days.


However, upon this simple frame some rather deep Zen is laid. There really are a myriad ways of interpreting the subsequent story of survival… the starvation leads to delirium and/or enlightenment, (are they so different?), then there is the relationship dynamic between defenseless boy and Tiger. One question which begs analysis is this: are the animals real or is it his psychological block to witnessing people in the act of cannibalism? This last question must be asked in light of the fact that the name “Richard Parker” is the same as a cabin boy that was eaten by shipwrecked survivors in 1884. More spookily, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a novel in 1838 in which a character, also called Richard Parker, gets cannibalized.


In short, the surreal situation in which the rules no longer apply and extreme stresses endured by both man and beast call into question the line between perception and reality, predator and prey.


Shattering The Suspension of Disbelief


My only small, (and it really is an aside note…doesn’t have a major impact on the overall story at all), problem with the story is a rather strange chapter. Near the end of the book, Pi and Richard Parker drift onto a floating island of kelp and algae…(no problem so far)…the island has pools of fresh water on it as the kelp is able to synthesize the salt out of the seawater as it eats plankton…(oookay, new concept to me, but I can go with it)….at night the chemical composition of the fresh water changes to a very corrosive acid…(say what?)…the island is inhabited by Meerkats…(that’s right, Meerkats...WTF?). They work out that the island is trying to eat them so they leave, after RP has significantly dented the resident Meerkat population that is.


For the life of me I can’t work out what the point of this interlude is, but maybe that’s just the point. One does get rather caught up in the philosophical waxing and cogitations and perhaps the predatory island and its Meerkats are what are needed to shatter the illusion of the story. Either that or I’ve missed some metaphor on a rather large scale…the metaphorical Meerkat?


Ending and Summation


In the end, they drift onto a beach in Mexico, the Tiger jumps off the boat and is never seen again and Pi is taken to Hospital. The book ends very suddenly and it should, as the story is about a boy and tiger on a boat….once that’s over, so is the story.


This book is not about a plot, or a clever ending, it’s more of a philosophical and spiritual treatise. It’s difficult to peg anything specific down as to why I enjoyed this book as much as I did and I think that each person who reads it will take away something different.


It’s absolutely worth reading…and reading again. In fact I think I will revisit Pi and Richard Parker soon...if not to further my journey to enlightenment, then at least to see if I can figure out what those damned Meerkats mean.


By James Sapsford

The most spectacular motoring theatre show in the universe

The most spectacular motoring theatre show in the universe, you say?

Yes, that's right: Top Gear Live is coming to South Africa!

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will be presenting Top Gear Live in Cape Town and Johannesburg at the end of January. The Stig will also make an appearance..

On this tour, Clarkson and Hammond will take charge of the show in Cape Town, while Clarkson and May will team up in Johannesburg. They will be joined by South African radio DJ and motorsport presenter Sasha Martinengo.

Check out the TV ad here

It is said that we will be exposed to some cars that have never before been seen in South Africa!

I suggest those of you in Cape Town or Joburg get yourselves some tickets NOW...

2010 motoring predictions

2009 was an interesting year...but 2010 promises to be VERY interesting...and hopefully not along the lines of the old Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".

Here are some of my predictions for 2010:

There's something inevitable about this one: The petrol price will rise in 2010, while the cost of owning and driving an electric vehicle is not likely to get cheaper than using fuel this year.

More and more motorists will caught drink driving - the new law in SA which allows a breathalyser test to stand alone in court (without blood tests) is going to see a lot of drink driving convictions before people wake up and stop chucking back the booze before getting behind the steering wheel.

More green cars will become available. They won't be cheaper than petrol cars, but they will offer enough perks to entice new buyers to try them out.

The past year has seen the motorways laced with 'average speed cameras', with miles and miles of them placed on motorways across the UK. In 2010 they're set to be introduced in urban areas to enforce 20mph speed limits - they'll be linked wirelessly, so that potentially a car can be tracked for miles and miles with its average speed monitored. So watch the speed gauge!

And most importantly: Drive safe!

Jaw dropping

I've got nothing to say about this car...it speaks for itself:



As one guy in the comments where I found this says: That looks like God and a stealth bomber had a baby.


Ok, yes, it's a Lamborghini Ankonian - a concept car. And yes, it DOES look like a modern Batmobile...