utopiastateofmind 's review for:

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

5.0

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Brilliantly crafted, inventive characters, and executed with a flair of the surreal, The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel is a deep exploration of the nature of grief and religion. I absolutely loved this book, as it simultaneously entertained and enlightened me. Presented in a series of three novellas, which connect in startling and poetic ways. All take place in the high mountains of Portugal. They deal with a man struck by grief into walking backwards, a philosophical discussion of the essence of faith framed by mystery writing, and the simple story of a man’s journey with his monkey. Along the way we are pulled into this surreal and magical world, where loss changes our lives in ways we could never imagine.

Of the three novellas, I enjoyed the third the most and liked the second the least. I think the style of the third was the most similar to The Life of Pi, while the second felt a lot like a philosophical essay to me. The only thing that saved the second story for me was the twist at the end.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-high-mountains-portugal-yann-martel/