This is not an easy subject, but Martel's take on it is artful and airy. Almost too airy; unlike Life of Pi, where the fantastic elements were rooted in a devastatingly believable narrator, none of Martel's characters in B&V rise about the level of being a tool to the parable. Martel is not so much telling a story as he is expressing an opinion, and this does the work a disservice.

I'll take Beatrice & Virgil for what it is, an imperfect quest to solve an impossible question. It's not perfect, but it made me ponder philosophical and artistic theories, which puts it head, shoulders, waist, and knees above anything Paulo Coelho ever wrote.

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