Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

I loved Life of Pi, Martel's first book and was waiting anxiously for this one to be released. I'll admit that at first, I was confused by this book. I wasn't sure where it was going, and I wasn't feeling much of a connection to the main character. However, as it went on, I truly enjoyed Martel's distinct storytelling style and elaborate attention to detail.

The main character, Henry, is a successful author whose second book was ruled a failure (pre-publishing) by 3 of his editors, a bookseller and a historian over a luncheon. After this, he gave up his career and moved to a nondescript city to start a new, nondescript life. In this new life, he continues to answer mail that is forwarded from his editors...and responds to one that is written by a man named Henry who requests help and happens to live in his current home.

After deciding to deliver the response himself, he discovers that the other Henry is a taxidermist who has been writing a play. The play, it is eventually discovered, is a fictional tale starring animals that is essentially about the Holocost...the very subject Henry proposed in his 2nd book. The characters, Beatrice the Donkey and Virgil the Howler Monkey, primarily spend their time talking about how they will talk about what happened to them, which they have decided to call The Horrors. Martel's descriptions are so vivid and real that at points I was literally brought to tears by what Beatrice and Virgil experienced. During the scene where Beatrice is telling Virgil what happened to her while they were apart, I was so revolted that I had to stop and come back multiple times.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you liked Life of Pi or enjoy vivid imagery, you should like this book. This author has a gift for description that anyone should be able to appreciate!