phoebe_phorreal 's review for:

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

4.0

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This book definitely isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed it. It reads more like a loosely connected series of novellas, sort of like [b:The Years of Rice and Salt|2723|The Years of Rice and Salt|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1419079388l/2723._SY75_.jpg|74882], and thus feels somewhat disjointed. I definitely think the novellas were of varying qualities- the first one is pretty good if very melancholy and the third is magnificent, but the second seems to have Martel engaging in a lot of pontificating and extended monologues that feel ham-handed and seem to tell the reader how to interpret the book rather than leave that up to them, unlike the one at the end of [b:Life of Pi|4214|Life of Pi|Yann Martel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320562005l/4214._SY75_.jpg|1392700]. That being said, the second part seems to work better in retrospect, and I'm sure Martel had a reason for the long discourses. At a certain point I felt like this was going to be a retread of Life of Pi but with less left for the reader to figure out, and I was so glad when that was not the case. It uses similar tropes and ideas to that book but rearranges them in a unique and wonderful way to form a work that stands on its own in portraying peculiar intricacies of grief, home, and belief through symbols and motifs that are hinted at but never fully explained.

I definitely think that those who are saying this is more experimental than Life of Pi seem to be correct. It feels a bit more rough around the edges, but still was, in the end, a rewarding read for me at least.