Life of Pi - Introduction

After finishing The Da Vinci Code, yesterday, I checked out a new book from the library called Life of Pi. The only time I ever heard of the book was when my social studies teacher in 8th grade said it was a really really good novel. When she said it that time, I wasn't interested in it at all because she said it was about a boy left stranded in the Pacific Ocean. The title, the cover, nor the book reviews on the back cover were interesting to me. Then why did I choose this book from the bookshelf? I decided to challenge myself to read a more difficult book, to attempt a novel that otherwise I would simply put away after reading the first few sentences. I always had a hard time focusing while reading, but this time, I want to try and make through it as best as I can.

The Author's Note in the beginning of the book explains to me how much trouble the author, Yann Martel, has been through. He spent a lot of time, effort, and money to finally write and publish this novel. Inside the front cover of the book, it says: "This is a novel of such rare and wondrous storytelling that it may, as one character claims, make you believe in God." This is a difficult statement to absorb. To be honest, I am not a Christian, and I do not believe in God. However, I do respect wholeheartedly everyone that believes in the words of God and Jesus Christ. I am just very curious about this statement, since a novel must be pretty darn good to make someone who doesn't believe in God believe in God. It takes a lot to move readers and turn that movement into tears and smiles. I hope I chose the right book for me, and who knows? I already know that the novel is told in the point of view of a man with a religious studies major & a zoology major, and I bet I'll be able to learn a lot from him and the story he has to tell.